India develops genome-edited rice varieties Kamla & Pusa DST Rice 1

India has developed the world’s first genome-edited rice varieties. Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the development of the DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1 at a function in New Delhi.

The new varieties are expected to boost India’s rice production by 25-30 % and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Flooded paddy fields are a major source of methane and nitrous oxide.

India has joined select countries in the world to develop gene-edited, non-genetically modified crops.

Who has developed the Kamla and Pusa DST Rice 1 varieties?

Both rice varieties have been developed by the research units of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), a premier government-owned agricultural institution.

• The Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, developed the Kamala variety.
• Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi, developed the Pusa DST-1 rice variety. 

Which rice varieties will be replaced by these new varieties?

• The Kamla variety has been developed by gene editing the popular Samba Mahsuri. It will replace its cultivation in major rice-producing areas. The newly developed variety will have more grain per panicle and mature early.
• The Pusa DST Rice-1 was developed by gene editing the popular Cottondora Sannalu variety. It is more productive and can be grown in saline and alkaline soils.
• The Samba Mahsuri and the Cottondora Sannalu rice varieties are presently cultivated in around 9 million hectares.

Where will these new varieties be cultivated?

The newly developed rice varieties will be cultivated in the major rice-growing states: West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Telangana.

According to the Union Agriculture Minister, the new varieties will be commercially available in four to five years.

Importance of the newly developed rice varieties 

The newly developed rice varieties will help India achieve several objectives.

Increase in rice production and food security

• The rice variety has an improved drought and salinity resistance capacity and is adaptable to climate change. 
• The two varieties are expected to be cultivated on 5 million hectares of agricultural land and produce 4.5 metric tonnes of additional paddy.
• This will increase the country's rice supply and strengthen its food security.
• India is the second-largest rice producer in the world after China and the largest rice exporter.

Reduction in greenhouse gas emissions 

• Flooded paddy fields are a major source of greenhouse gases- methane and nitrous oxide, which play a major role in global warming and climate change.
• Under the Paris Accord, India has set a target to achieve a zero-carbon emission status by 2070.
• The new varieties will help India achieve this target, as the ICAR expects a 20 % drop in the country's greenhouse gas emissions due to paddy cultivation.

Availability of Land 

• According to Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the higher productivity of the two varieties will reduce the area under rice cultivation.
• Around 5 million hectares of land currently used for rice cultivation will become surplus and can be used for other productive purposes.

Conservation of water and fertilisers

• The new varieties use less water than the traditional Samba Mahsuri and the Cottondora Sannalu rice varieties.
• It also uses less fertiliser per hectare than the traditional varieties.

What is Gene Editing?

In Gene editing, no new foreign DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) is inserted into the living organism (crop). The gene editing technology enables scientists to make targeted changes in the native genes of living organisms, creating new and desirable traits.

In genetically modified (GM) crops, scientists insert foreign DNA into the living organism to create new desirable traits in the living organism. 

In India, GM crops need permission from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change before being commercially introduced.

GM crops are very controversial, with many environmental groups and scientists opposing them.

Promotion of Gene Editing in India 

The government is promoting gene editing technology in India to boost crop productivity and meet the ever-increasing needs of a growing population.

In 2002, the government exempted certain gene-edited crops from the biosafety regulations applicable to genetically modified crops.

Around 40 crops, including wheat, banana, tomato, tur, and cotton, are in various stages of development in India.

Government appoints Mangi Lal Jat as Director General of the ICAR