&w=3840&q=100)
Increasing productivity: Genome-edited rice varieties to boost yields
Critically, gene-editing technologies like SDN1 do not introduce foreign deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), distinguishing them from traditional genetically modified (GM) organisms
Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai
Listen to This Article
India's recent release of two genome-edited rice varieties marks a significant milestone in agricultural innovation. Developed by using Site Directed Nuclease 1 (SDN1) genome-editing technology, DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1 not only promise yield increases of up to 30 per cent but also offer a response to the country's intertwined challenges of food security, environmental degradation, and regional agricultural imbalances. Both the rice strains promise results better than their parent varieties, Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204) and Cottondora Sannalu (MTU-1010), respectively. What makes these genome-edited rice varieties particularly attractive is the host of agronomic advantages they offer.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
17 hours ago
- Business Standard
Digi Yatra to expand to 15 more airports in India, says Siddharth Verma
Digi Yatra, an initiative co-ordinated by the civil aviation ministry to ensure seamless travel for passengers from the airport gates to boarding a flight, will be available in 15 more airports this fiscal, Siddharth Verma, head of IT operations at Digi Yatra Foundation, said. "All the metros are done and all the big airports are done. So now we are left with the smaller airports where the ministry evaluates if there is a need at all or not. Because at times you don't need such solutions if the volume is very low, or there is just one gate," he told Business Standard. Five of the new airports include Mangalore, Trivandrum, Srinagar, Chandigarh, and Nagpur. The rest are managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), whose infrastructure is ready but where technology integration is still under way. India has 24 of its major airports covered under Digi Yatra, covering nearly 90 per cent of outbound passenger traffic, Verma added. The upcoming airports in Navi Mumbai and Noida are not part of the 15, he clarified. Digi Yatra's technology, launched in 2022, has revolutionised travel across Indian airports through the implementation of self-sovereign identity or decentralised ID, which allows users to control their online information. Authentication is done through two documents: the Aadhaar and the boarding pass. To date, the app has been downloaded 14 million times and has facilitated more than 56 million journeys across Indian airports. 'It should be like a walk in the park, a kind of experience where nobody should ask for your documents. You just show your face and keep walking through the touchpoints seamlessly and don't have to exchange your documents with anyone.' The Digi Yatra app is linked with the UIDAI ecosystem. When a passenger downloads the app, fills in the required details — including the Aadhaar number — and receives an OTP to authenticate, UIDAI sends the Aadhaar details to the phone. 'Then your proof of presence is established by taking your selfie and matching it with the image on your Aadhaar. These two must match. We then create a verified credential (VC), which is like a digital photocopy with a digital stamp called proof value. This proof value, along with the ID document, is stored in the Digi Yatra wallet on the user's phone until it is deleted by the user.' Even with Aadhaar, Digi Yatra follows what Verma terms data minimisation. Only the passenger's name, gender, date of birth, and masked Aadhaar number are taken. 'Your address is not pulled because it is not required for this use case. Privacy by design means data minimisation must be embedded at the core.' The second step involves uploading the boarding pass. The technology pulls data from the QR code, including date of travel, name, seat number, PNR, origin, destination, and sequence number. 'When you link your boarding pass, we match the name linked earlier from your Aadhaar with the name on the boarding pass. If these match, along with the real-time facial image clicked at the airport, the gate opens. All this happens automatically. There is no human intervention,' Verma explains. Asked about data security concerns, he said data shared with the origin airport is deleted from Digi Yatra's biometric gallery within 24 hours of flight departure. 'The data becomes instantly obsolete. That's how the architecture is designed. Airports also cannot retain the data as per policy.' Digi Yatra also conducts annual audits at the enabled airports to ensure compliance with these policy guidelines and verify that systemic scripts are in place. 'Some airports delete it within four hours, some within five. Others delete it as per the policy required by the CISF and other security agencies.'
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
17 hours ago
- Business Standard
Rapido enters food aggregation with 'Ownly' platform, partners NRAI
Ride-hailing platform Rapido is set to foray into the food delivery segment with the launch of a new online platform called Ownly, which will allow customers to browse and order from restaurants. The mobility startup has also entered into a non-exclusive partnership with the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), which represents over 50,000 eateries across the country. The pilot for Ownly is expected to begin in select areas of Bengaluru by the last week of June or the first week of July. The new platform will operate on a zero-commission model, charging restaurants a flat subscription fee. Under the agreement, restaurants will not be permitted to add packaging charges separately, and pricing across online and offline channels will be kept uniform. This means customers will pay only the listed price plus GST—no platform or restaurant mark-ups. 'The price of a dish (excluding GST) is the final price the customer pays. There is no other addition from us or a restaurant partner,' the terms and conditions (T&C) state. Business Standard has reviewed a copy of the T&C between the two platforms. As per the agreed terms, restaurant partners will bear the delivery fee for all orders within a standard radius of 4 km. For orders valued at ₹100 or less, the delivery cost will be ₹10, of which the customer will pay ₹20. For orders above ₹100 and below ₹400, the delivery cost will be ₹25 plus applicable GST. For orders exceeding ₹400, the cost rises to ₹50. Welcoming more players in the food delivery space, Sagar Daryani, president of NRAI, said, 'From what we feel, Rapido has shared a proposal with us that is economically viable and democratic. In principle, they have even agreed to share the consumer database with us. The market will only grow if food becomes cheaper. When food is more affordable, our pricing comes down, and we get more business.' Daryani added that the NRAI will continue engaging with other platforms such as Swiggy, Zomato, and ONDC. An NRAI executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the Ownly model could reduce the total fee (including discounts, delivery, and commissions) from up to 30 per cent—as levied by incumbents like Zomato and Swiggy—to nearly half. Rapido, which already has a network of over 2 million two-wheeler riders, may also allow restaurants to opt for self-delivery if they have their own logistics capabilities. The company did not respond to Business Standard's queries till press time. Amit Bagga, co-founder and CEO of Daryaganj Restaurants, said the initiative could be particularly beneficial for small and independent restaurants. 'This move could be truly beneficial for small, independent restaurants by offering them more options and potentially better margins. However, much will depend on how effectively Rapido executes its logistics. Timely deliveries, especially during peak hours, and consistent rider availability are critical. The success of this initiative will ultimately rely on how well Rapido can manage end-to-end logistics and maintain service standards,' Bagga said.
Scroll.in
18 hours ago
- Scroll.in
India has developed two genome-edited rice varieties – but some experts are concerned
In a significant stride towards bolstering food security amid escalating climate challenges, researchers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Rice Research, both operating under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, have developed two innovative genome-edited rice varieties, named DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1. These varieties aim to enhance yield and resilience against environmental stresses. Developed by Indian Institute of Rice Research in Hyderabad, DRR Dhan 100 or Kamala is based on the popular Samba Mahsuri (BPT-5204) and exhibits high yield potential along with improved drought and salinity resistance. Pusa DST Rice 1 is developed by Indian Agricultural Research Institute in New Delhi from Cotton Dora Sannalu (MTU 1010) and is engineered for enhanced DST or drought and salt tolerance. Both varieties were developed using the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technique, which allows for precise modifications in the plant's DNA without introducing foreign genes. This, according to the scientists, is a very different method from genetic modification of the plant. Genome editing accelerates the breeding process and enables the development of crops with desired traits more efficiently. Genome editing vs genetic modification While both genome editing and genetic modification involve altering an organism's genetic material, they differ fundamentally in approach and outcome. Genome editing uses specific tools to make targeted changes to the organism's own DNA without introducing genes from other species. In contrast, genetic modification typically involves inserting foreign genes into an organism's genome, often resulting in transgenic organisms. Viswanathan C, joint director (research) at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, explains, 'In genome editing, mutations are induced at specific sites where change is needed. These are internal and guided changes – a modern, targeted way to induce genetic mutations that also occur in nature, but with precision for specific outcomes.' Genetic modification, on the other hand, can result in unintended genetic changes and has been subject to stricter regulatory scrutiny. Scientists have used Site-Directed Nuclease 1 and Site-Directed Nuclease 2 (SDN-1 and SDN-2) genome editing techniques to develop the seeds. Vishwanathan highlights that genome editing in rice is being pursued to address agricultural challenges such as low yields, drought, and soil salinity, which are increasingly prevalent due to climate change. For instance, Pusa DST Rice 1 and DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) were developed to tolerate harsh conditions such as drought and saline soils, which are common in many Indian farming regions. Kamala, derived from the popular Samba Mahsuri rice, also has improved grain numbers and reduced environmental impact, according to the scientists. Biosafety concerns The release of these genome-edited rice varieties has garnered attention from various stakeholders in the agricultural sector. While many experts view this development as a positive step towards sustainable agriculture, some have raised concerns about the long-term implications and regulatory oversight of genome editing technologies. The Coalition for GM-free India, in a press conference held in Bengaluru, put forward the concerns around the safety of genome editing of crops such as rice. They alleged that both SDN-1 and SDN-2 techniques used for the rice varieties are illegal and unsafe. Kavitha Kuruganti, a member of the coalition says, 'Published studies such as Sukumar Biswas et al. in their paper say that SDN-1 technology, using CRISPR/Cas9 system is not precise in rice. Early and accurate molecular characterisation and screening must be carried out for many generations before the edited rice varieties are handed over to the farmers.' In a rebuttal, Indian Council of Agricultural Research scientists responded to these allegations saying that genome editing techniques, (SDN-1/SDN-2) are comparable to natural or chemical-induced mutations used safely for more than 75 years. They explain that these techniques require specific tests to confirm absence of foreign DNA. 'More than 30 agriculture-based countries have exempted SDN1 and SDN2 genome editing from stringent biosafety regulations. India too joined the progressive nations and notified the exemption of SDN1 and SDN2 genome edited plants in 2022,' the rebuttal sourced by Mongabay India says. While Kurnganti questions the need for a better yielding paddy, considering India is one of the largest rice producers in the world, second only to China, and the country could do better with better distribution of paddy produced, Vishwanathan says that rice plays a central role in the country's food security and cannot be overlooked. He adds that similar research is ongoing in millets and other crops as well.
