Source: News on Air
Context: India has launched its first genome-edited rice varieties, DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1, developed by ICAR using CRISPR-Cas9 technology.
About India’s First Genome-Edited Rice Varieties:
- About DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala):
- It is a new rice variety developed by ICAR-IIRR in Hyderabad.
- It is based on the popular Samba Mahsuri (BPT 5204) variety.
- Features:
- This new variety gives 19% more yield and matures about 20 days earlier, taking only 130 days.
- It has a strong stem that prevents the plant from falling, and it saves a large amount of irrigation water—around 7,500 million cubic meters.
- It uses genome-editing to change the CKX2 (Gn1a) gene, which helps produce more grains per plant.
- Because it grows faster, it also releases less methane into the environment.
- About Pusa DST Rice 1:
- It is another new rice variety developed by ICAR-IARI in New Delhi, using the MTU 1010 variety as its base.
- This variety has been edited to improve its tolerance to drought and salty soils by targeting the DST gene.
- It performs better in tough soil conditions and can give up to 30.4% more yield in such areas.
- It does not contain any foreign DNA and is genome-edited using the SDN1 method, which means it does not fall under strict GMO rules.
