Chennai: Population growth and shrinking agricultural lands has escalated the problem of food insecurity. To tackle this burning problem, the Government of India now proposes to develop new ‘mutant’ crops using precision genome editing (GE) technology, which is currently in the advanced stages of resea rch in a handful of developed countries. Genome editing is said to have potential to bring in another green revolution by enhancing the yield per acre by at least 45 per cent, besides adding nutritional value and fighting most diseases.
The department of biotechnology (DBT) under the Union ministry of science and technology has already called for proposals and India will shortly enter the elite club of countries promoting this revolutionary idea. The M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), a pioneer in agricultural research, is submitting a proposal to apply GE technology on aromatic rice varieties to start with, disclosed Dr Ajay Parida, executive director, MSSRF, to Deccan Chronicle on the sidelines of a seminar held on Friday.
Dr Parida suggested that GE would be an ideal approach to set things right. “Already, we have 1,500 plant species sequences and India is part of International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP). It’s time to use the genome sequence references to develop new mutant crops. For instance, we can analyse short and tall paddy plants to identify the gene that increases a plant’s height. Then, using GE technology, we can knock out that gene and still protect the original characteristics of the plant species. In the paddy plant, 70 per cent is biomass and only 30 per cent is grain.
By reducing the plant height, the grain percentage can be enhanced from 30 per cent to 60 per cent. We can add and delete genes to make species adaptable to salinity, waterlogging and drought conditions. We can literally develop unlimited mutant varieties,” he said. Dr Sivaprakash Ramalingam, scientist at MSSRF, asserted that GE technology is different from genetic modification. It mimics natural action and does not require foreign DNA. “This minimises the need for regulatory sanctions. These plants are indistinguishable from those that occur through selective breeding and is a permanent mutation that will carry on for generations. GE technology can be used for any crop variety. Research is under way on potato, maize, etc.”
