Why in the News?
India’s Agriculture Minister has introduced ‘Kamala’ and ‘Pusa DST Rice 1’, the country’s first genome-edited rice varieties, developed by ICAR. These are also the world’s first genome-edited rice varieties.
About ‘Kamala’ and ‘Pusa DST Rice 1’:
- Kamala (DRR Dhan 100): Developed by ICAR-IIRR Hyderabad, derived from Samba Mahsuri; shows higher yield, early maturity, drought tolerance.
- Pusa DST Rice 1: Developed by ICAR-IARI Delhi, based on MTU1010; improves drought and salinity tolerance.
- Agencies involved: Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), ICAR-IIRR, ICAR-IARI.
- They were created using CRISPR-Cas9-based genome editing, specifically Site Directed Nuclease 1 (SDN1). It has NO foreign DNA inserted.
- It has been approved by Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBC) and Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) under relaxed genome-edit rules.
Specific Benefits Offered:
- Yield boost:
- Kamala: +19% over Samba Mahsuri (avg. 5.37 t/ha, max. up to 9 t/ha).
- Pusa DST Rice 1: +9.6% to +30.4% over MTU1010 under stress conditions.
- Climate resilience:
- Kamala: Drought tolerance, early maturity.
- Pusa DST: Salt and drought tolerance for saline/alkaline/coastal soils.
- Water saving: Kamala matures 20 days early → saves 3 irrigations, i.e., 7,500 million m³ water.
- Emission reduction: Cultivation over 5 million ha may reduce 32,000 tonnes GHG emissions (20% drop).
- Food security support: Improved paddy output enhances India’s average yield, critical for 40% of total foodgrain basket.
| [UPSC 2018] With reference to the Genetically Modified mustard (GM mustard) developed in India, consider the following statements:
1. GM mustard has the genes of a soil bacterium that give the plant the property of pest-resistance to a wide variety of pests. 2.GM mustard has the genes that allow the plant cross-pollination and hybridization. 3.GM mustard has been developed jointly by the IARI and Punjab Agricultural University. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? Options: (a) 1 and 3 only (b) 2 only* (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 |
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