Paper: GS – III, Subject: Science and Technology, Topic: Biotechnology, Issue: GM crops to GE crops.
Context:
India’s shift from genetically modified (GM) crops to genome-edited (GE) crops, which modify native genes, face easier regulation, and promise faster, precise crop improvement supported by trials, policies, and funding.
Key Takeaways:
Scientific Principles of Genome Editing:
CRISPR-Associated (Cas) Proteins:
- Used for developing the GE rice and mustard varieties.
- Cas9 protein: Deployed for editing a ‘drought and salt tolerance’ gene in the MTU-1010 rice and 10 glucosinolate transporter genes in the Varuna mustard varieties.
- Cas12a protein: Used to edit the ‘cytokinin oxidase 2 (Gnla)’ gene in Samba Mahsuri rice.
Objective Behind Editing (Gnla Gene Example):
- Gnla gene codes for an enzyme that degrades cytokinin, a plant hormone stimulating the formation of rice spikelets or flowers.
- Reducing the expression of the Gnla gene lowers the degradation of cytokinin.
- Leads to an increased number of grains per panicle (flower cluster) and thereby yields.
Policy Push: Exemption from Stringent Biosafety Assessment Regulations:
- GE plants, being “free from exogenous introduced DNA,” are exempted from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change’s (MoEFCC) stringent biosafety assessment regulations.
- These regulations apply to GM crops, whose “environmental release” requires clearance from a Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee under the MoEFCC.
- The exemption limits approvals for GE crops only at the level of an Institutional Biosafety Committee.
Training Programs:
- Nine scientists from various ICAR institutes have been sent for advanced training in the US, Europe, Australia, and CIMMYT. Another 12 are going in the coming months.
- In February, scientists from the Innovative Genomics Institute conducted training sessions for the faculty and students at IARI.
Policy Push: GE Crop Regulation, Support, Targets, Training, Tools
India’s transition from GM to GE crops marks a turning point in agricultural biotechnology. With scientific precision, relaxed regulations, skill development, and targeted investments, genome editing is poised to reshape India’s crop improvement landscape enhancing productivity, climate resilience, and farmer income.
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