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Time of India
20-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Less water, more rice: Why gene editing may be a game changer
Less water, more rice: Why gene editing may be a game changer TOI Explains Vishwa Mohan TNN May 20, 2025, 18:34 IST IST With drought-tolerant, climate-resilient rice just two years away from Indian farms, gene editing could change how the country grows its staple. But questions around safety, regulation, and adoption still remain Two varieties of rice — 'DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala)' and 'Pusa DST Rice 1', developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ( ICAR ) and its institutes — are the world's first genome-edited varieties, and promise to be a gamechanger in sustainable agriculture .
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Less water, more rice: Why gene editing of rice may be a game changer
Two varieties of rice - 'DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala)' and 'Pusa DST Rice 1', developed by ICAR and its institutes - are the world's first genome-edited varieties, and promise to be a game-changer in sustainable agriculture . Scientists say these two varieties, when cultivated on 5 million hectares, can produce 4.5 million tonnes of additional paddy and save a total of 7,500 million cubic metres of irrigation water. And, apart from a yield advantage of 20%-30%, these climate-resilient varieties could reduce methane emissions by 20%, the scientists claim. This could go a long way towards solving one of the biggest problems in cultivating rice, a staple for about 800 million Indians: its resource-heaviness. Each kilo of traditional rice requires, on average, 2,500 litres of water, and its cultivation consumes more than 50% of the irrigation water available to the country's agriculture sector. Genome editing enables scientists to make targeted changes in the native genes of living organisms, creating new and desirable traits without introducing foreign DNA. It involves adding, removing or modifying DNA sequences at specific locations in the genome. This technology has applications in various fields, including medicine, agriculture and basic research. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 복부비만 원인 "오래되고 딱딱한 묵은 지방" 간단히 녹이는 방법 남재현 체지방 다이어트 더 알아보기 Undo Because rice is such a resource-guzzler, ICAR's National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), which scientifically calculated the amount of water needed to produce 1kg of rice, noted that a major impact of climate change would be visible in the form of water stress, and that rice cultivation was likely to be most affected. "In the next two decades, there's a need to produce around 25% more from 10%-15% reduced share of water," said ICAR-NRRI in a research paper on managing water for rice-production systems. Genome editing allows the development of drought-tolerant rice varieties that have a low water requirement. ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) had launched a genome-editing research project in rice in 2018 and selected two widely cultivated mega rice varieties - 'Samba Mahsuri (BPT5204)' and 'MTU1010 (Cottondora Sannalu)' - to enhance their qualities through tech interventions. Scientists enhanced these rice varieties with better stress tolerance, improved yield and climate adaptability without compromising on their existing strengths as they developed the two new genome-edited varieties. Genome-edited varieties are, however, suitable for only those states/UTs for which the parent varieties are recommended: Tamil Nadu, Karnaktaka, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and (eastern) UP. ICAR is now accessing intellectual property rights before the newly developed genome-edited varieties are made available to farmers. Seeds for commercial cultivation are expected to reach farmers within two years. The Coalition for a GM-Free India - a network of organisations and individuals advocating for a GM-free India - has demanded that govt immediately withdraw the two genome-edited rice varieties and bring them under the purview of rigorous regulation. They claim the two varieties have the potential to harm humans and cause irreversible damage to the environment, apart from threatening the country's seed sovereignty. Since the genome-edited line contains no foreign DNA, it makes it comparable to conventionally bred varieties. Two key approaches - Site Directed Nuclease 1 (SDN1) and Site Directed Nuclease 2 (SDN2) - produce genetically edited organisms that are considered "indistinguishable from naturally occurring or conventionally bred mutants". As such, they are exempt from stringent bio-safety regulations under Rules 7-11 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Institutional Bio-safety Committee (IBC) of ICAR institutes approved the lines, and the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) granted clearance on May 31, 2023, for classification under India's relaxed regulatory framework for SDN1 and SDN2 genome edits. Viswanathan Chinnusamy, lead developer of the genome-edited rice and joint director (research), IARI, said plants with genome-edited seed varieties do not contain 'exogenous' (foreign) DNA, unlike genetically modified crops. He also dispelled health fears with gene-edited rice varieties, saying the genome-edited variety is equivalent to a mutant variety developed by a conventional approach. "Hence, it has no health or environmental concerns," he said.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
How did India develop genome edited rice?
The story so far: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently announced that India has become the first country in the world to develop rice varieties using genome editing technology. The new seeds will be available for farmers after the required clearances within six months and large-scale seed production will probably take place during the next three crop seasons. What are the new varieties? A team of researchers from various institutions, guided by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), were behind the development of the two varieties — the DRR Dhan 100, also known as Kamala, which was developed from a popular high yielding green rice Samba Mahsuri, and Pusa DST Rice 1, which was developed from the Maruteru 1010 (MTU1010) variety. What are its peculiarities? According to the ICAR, the increase in food demand, challenges posed by climate change and increasing biotic and abiotic stresses such as pest attacks and scarcity of water, led to the development of high yielding, climate resilient and nutritionally rich crop varieties. Kamala has shown superior yield, drought tolerance, high nitrogen use efficiency and 20 days earliness over its parent variety. It has an average yield of 5.37 tonnes per hectare against the 4.5 tonnes per hectare of Samba Mahsuri across two years and 25 locations of testing in the country. 'The earliness trait will help in saving water, fertilizers, and reduced emission of methane,' the ICAR said. The second variety, Pusa DST Rice 1, has a yield of 3,508 kilograms per hectare (a capacity of 9.66% more) over the parent rice variety, MTU 1010, which has an average yield of 3,199 kg per hectare under 'inland salinity stress'. It also showed a superiority of 14.66% over the MTU 1010 under alkalinity conditions, and a 30.4% yield advantage under coastal salinity stress. What was the technology used? According to Joint Director (Research), Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Viswanathan. C, scientists have used Site-Directed Nuclease 1 and Site-Directed Nuclease 2 (SDN-1 and SDN-2) genome editing techniques to develop the seeds. Though this technique was used to develop different crops since 2001, such as tomatoes, a fish variety in Japan and a soybean variety in the U.S., making a rice variety has been done for the first time. In 2020, the first peer-reviewed research paper on Pusa DST Rice 1 was published, which got cited in more than 300 papers since then. The paper on Kamala is in the stage of publication. 'The international research community has approved both the varieties,' Dr. Viswanathan said. Are they GM crops? Dr. Viswanathan says that since the genome editing technology SDN-3 is not involved in this process, they are not genetically modified (GM) crops. In the SDN-1 approach, scientists make a cut and the repair is done automatically while in SDN-2, scientists give guidance to the cell to do the repair and the cell copies it. In SDN-3, however, scientists introduce a foreign gene from other varieties and integrate it into the improved varieties. This process is considered as genetic modification. In this case, the mutant was developed without any foreign gene and mutation occurred through natural process. This is a precision mutation technique and several countries have exempted this process from the regulations required for developing GM crops. 'No foreign gene is there in these crops, only the native gene is there in the final product,' Dr. Viswanathan said. A team of scientists from various governmental institutions were part of this research. It was tested in the fields under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Rice during 2023 and 2024. What are the objections? Venugopal Badaravada, who was a farmers' representative in the ICAR governing body said that the ICAR's genome-edited rice claims are premature and misleading. A day after the announcement he said in a statement that farmers demand accountability, transparent data, and technologies that are tested in our fields — not just polished press releases. He was expelled from the governing body soon after this and the ICAR accused Mr. Badaravada of spreading falsehoods about the institution. The Coalition for a Genetically Modified-Free India, a group of activists who are fighting a case against GM crops in the Supreme Court, said the biotech industry and lobbies have resorted to falsely portraying gene editing as a precise and safe technology, whereas published scientific papers show that this is untrue. 'India's de-regulation of two kinds of gene editing is outright illegal,' the organisation said. They claimed that gene editing tools are proprietary technologies under Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) ownership and have a direct bearing on the seed sovereignty of the country's farming community. 'The Government of India has to reveal the situation with regard to IPRs on the released varieties transparently, immediately. The Government of India is compromising on farmers' seed sovereignty and our food sovereignty by bringing in technologies entangled in IPR issues,' they said.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Agri revolution or regulatory blind spot? Genome-edited rice crops stir debate
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads According to ICAR, genome editing technology (CRISPR-Cas), serves as a precision mutagenesis tool designed to create novel and desirable variants of a native gene(s) found in a living organism. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Without regulations, consumers can't easily distinguish between gene-edited crops and non-edited ones, say experts. In 2018, ICAR launched a genome editing research project in rice under the National Agricultural Science Fund. On May 4, 2025, India made history. The country introduced the first genome-edited rice to the world. At a grand event in the national capital, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled two new genome-edited rice varieties—DRR Dhan 100 and Pusa DST Rice 1 The Indian Council of Agricultural Research ( ICAR ), the government's apex agriculture research organisation, has developed these innovative varieties; these crops could boost rice yields by up to 30% while also improving drought tolerance and decreasing water is 'a historic milestone' in the field of scientific research. 'These new varieties will play a leading role in heralding the second Green Revolution,' says Chouhan, noting that these new crops will not only enhance production but will also produce beneficial outcomes for the environment by saving water and reducing greenhouse gas is the second-largest producer and consumer of rice in the world, behind only China, accounting for nearly 27% of the global production. The country uses nearly 40% of its total arable land for rice cultivation. Thanks to the advanced technologies and farming practices, the country's rice output has grown substantially over the years. In 2023-24, India produced 137 million tonnes of rice, while the projection for 2024-25 suggests a total production of 147 million country's rice output could even swell further in the coming years with the introduction of these new rice varieties. Some experts, however, criticised the development, raising concerns about safety testing. They insist that gene editing should undergo rigorous regulations, even as ICAR asserts that the existing regulations are adequate. There is no need for 'a separate framework for genome-edited crops,' it Ministry officials indicate that these varieties are expected to take at least four to five years to reach farmers, following completion of the seed development cycle, which includes breeder, foundation, and certified the controversy surrounding genome-edited rice varieties, let's understand the regulatory framework in this to ICAR, genome editing technology (CRISPR-Cas), serves as a precision mutagenesis tool designed to create novel and desirable variants of a native gene(s) found in a living organism. However, the products made using certain genome editing techniques, such as Site-Directed Nuclease 1 ( SDN-1 ) and Site-Directed Nuclease 2 ( SDN-2 ), are exempt from regulations because of their resemblance to naturally occurring mutations.'In SDN-1 and SDN-2 types of genome editing, a native gene is mutated in its native location to create an alternative form known as an allele, which exhibits a desirable altered expression and function. The mutants created by the SDN-1 and SDN-2 approaches are free of exogenously introduced DNA. These mutants are alike and indistinguishable from spontaneous or induced mutants. Hence, exempted from biosafety regulation of Rules 7-11 of Rules 1989 under Environment (Protection) Act 1986,' ICAR clarifies in a is important to note that under this regulatory framework for SDN-1 and SDN-2 genome edits, DRR Dhan 100 and Pusa DST Rice 1 received clearance on May 31, 2023, for to Devinder Sharma, a Mohali-based agriculture expert, corporate influence led to regulatory exemptions for these two varieties. He says, 'The GM industry is promoting genome-edited crops to stay afloat, as they have faced criticism for lacking tangible outputs and are under pressure.'In India, GM crops are subject to regulation; however, there is currently no comprehensive regulatory framework for genome-edited crops, Sharma points out. 'Why can't India have regulation for gene-edited crops, just like the EU?' Sharma regulations for genome-edited crops vary across the globe. The EU regulates genetically modified organisms (GMOs), including gene-edited crops, under a stringent framework that mandates rigorous testing, approval, and labelling, while the US and Japan offer some exemptions. Devendra Kumar Yadava , Deputy Director General (Crop Science), ICAR, countered the criticism, asserting that the existing regulatory framework is sufficient and that a separate regulation is not required.'In India, all activities related to genetically engineered organisms (GE organisms) or cells and hazardous microorganisms and products are regulated as per the 'Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, Rules, 1989' (Rules, 1989) notified by the Government of India under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA 1986). A draft guideline for genome-edited organisms was published by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, in 2020 for public consultation. Based on the consultation, scientific results, and inputs from the National Science Academies, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change brought an office memorandum,' says Yadava.'All provisions under Rules, 1989, shall be applicable on genome-edited plants except the rules 7 -11 (both inclusive) on which exemption from regulation has been granted under Rule 20 by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change vide Office Memorandum F. No. C -12013/3/2020-CS-III dated 30.03.2022. The GMO regulation rules are applicable to the initial stages of genome editing of plants. The genome-edited plants in later generations are exempted from Rules 7-11 of Rules 1989 once it is proved that the mutant is developed by the SDN-1/SDN-2 approach and it is proved that the mutant does not contain exogenously introduced DNA. As per the 'Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for regulatory review of genome-edited plants under SDN-1 and SDN-2 categories, 2022', notified by RCGM, DBT, Govt of India, on October 4, 2022,' explains Pareek, an agriculture economist and convener of the Global Grains and Pulses Council, commended India's genome-edited rice varieties; however,he noted that the widespread adoption of these varieties faced significant challenges. 'A four-to-five-year timeline for commercial rollout underscores the urgency for streamlined regulatory and seed distribution frameworks.''Long-term ecological impacts, particularly on soil and biodiversity across five million hectares, demand rigorous scrutiny, as do intellectual property complexities surrounding CRISPR tools. While water savings and early maturity are compelling, extensive field trials across diverse agroclimatic zones are critical to validate performance,' says to Pareek, the success of these genome-edited rice varieties depends on strategic implementation, farmer-centric education, and ongoing scientific oversight to achieve sustainable outcomes. India is currently implementing gene editing techniques on 24 food crops and 15 horticulture crops, according to government officials. As several new genome-edited varieties are expected to be released in the coming days, experts are urging for a comprehensive guideline specifically for these crops to tackle regulations, consumers can't easily distinguish between gene-edited crops and non-edited ones. This necessitates 'the need for labelling and stricter oversight' for these crops, says a similar vein, The Coalition for a GM-Free India, an advocate for a GM-free world, highlights safety concerns surrounding gene-editing techniques, raising doubts about their safety. 'Gene editing is also genetic modification, as is apparent from the statutory definition in India of genetic engineering. However, the Government of India has deregulated two kinds of SDN-1 and SDN-2, giving specious unscientific rationale. Under a smokescreen of higher yield/drought resistance, etc., it has now released two gene-edited rice varieties without safety testing,' states The Coalition for a GM-Free India in a release, a day after the launch of these crops.'Given the lack of public acceptance of transgenic r-DNA technology—one kind of modern biotechnology—the biotech industry and lobbies have resorted to falsely portraying gene editing as a precise and safe technology, whereas published scientific papers show that this is untrue. India's deregulation of two kinds of gene editing (SDN-1 and SDN-2) is outright illegal,' the Coalition Ashok Kumar, Director of Farm Prosperity at Transform Rural India (TRI), hailed the innovation while emphasising the need to conduct thorough biosafety testing of gene-edited and transgenic crops prior to their release for 2022 document titled 'The Regulatory Authority for Gene-edited Organisms' issued by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) states that SDN-1 and SDN-2 are not classified as GMOs. 'But since this is the first time the genome of rice is edited using CRISPR technology, and the product is a staple food, its biosafety for human and animal health must be thoroughly tested and assured before releasing for consumption,' Kumar labelling, Yadava says, 'Genome editing is a precision mutagenesis tool. Mutations are created in the native genes, similar to the conventional mutagenesis approach, and since no foreign gene is presented in the gene-edited crop, labelling is not necessary.'In 2018, ICAR launched a genome editing research project in rice under the National Agricultural Science Fund. The project focused on two popular rice varieties: Samba Mahsuri (BPT5204) and MTU1010 (Cottondora Sannalu), which are cultivated across nine million hectares in the country. The genome-edited rice line, officially designated IET 32072, underwent multi-location field trials in 2023 and 2024 under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Rice (AICRPR) to assess its varieties promise to increase rice yields by 20-30%. According to ICAR, cultivating these rice varieties on nearly 5 million hectares can yield an additional 4.5 million tonnes of paddy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% (32,000 tonnes). The shorter duration (reduction by 20 days) of these varieties can also save around 7,500 million cubic metres of irrigation water by reducing three experts find it confusing to promise unverified yield increases for crops such as rice, considering India's current surplus production. There are also concerns that introducing gene-edited rice varieties could threaten India's rich rice genetic diversity, jeopardise its native rice heritage, and impact trade opportunities for non-GM there are concerns, some experts also view this development as a notable step forward, potentially paving the way for further advancements in this field. Ajay Kakra, Leader-Food and Agriculture, GIDAS, Forvis Mazars, India—a global consultancy—states that pioneering genome-edited rice without foreign DNA insertion has the potential to position India as a biotechnology leader. 'However, their long-term credibility hinges on transparent and timely progression through field validation and regulatory processes, he says, noting that the early announcements can increase awareness among stakeholders, enabling them to prepare for Agriscience, a global agriculture and seed company, too, welcomed the development but declined to comment on regulatory aspects. 'Gene editing offers a way to grow more food on less land while strengthening crops against pests and climate stressors. Its widespread adoption could redefine how we farm and, more importantly, offer a powerful tool in the global effort to ensure food security,' says the spokesperson of the ongoing debate regarding the regulation of genome-edited crops, agri experts like Pareek and Kakra assert that the announcement isn't premature, given its scientific significance and global implications. They suggest ICAR should emphasise the timeline of 4-5 years for seed development and execute rigorous testing and transparency to manage expectations. If concerns are addressed before their commercial launch, these crops hold the potential to redefine farming in the coming days.
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Business Standard
08-05-2025
- Science
- Business Standard
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.
