Genome Editing vs GM Crops: India’s Agri Biotech Shift
Why in the news
India’s crop biotechnology, long stuck with GM crops, is turning to genome editing (GE), which alters a plant’s own genes for higher yield, better nutrition and disease resistance without transgenic worries.
Key facts
- GM status: adoption largely restricted to Bt cotton; none newly approved since 2006.
- GE rice trials: Samba Mahsuri and MTU-1010; one line shows up to 19% more yield and better tolerance of saline or alkaline soils.
- GE mustard line under multi-location testing; release possible by 2026.
- Editing the Gn1a gene in rice lowers its activity, raises cytokinin and increases grain yield.
| Point | GM crops | Genome editing |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Inserts foreign genes (transgenic) | Precisely edits own DNA with CRISPR-Cas9, TALENs or ZFNs |
| Example | Bt cotton, with a bacterial gene for pest resistance | Rice edited for drought tolerance |
| Regulation | Strict oversight, higher barriers | Treated differently; framework evolving |
| Gene pool | Adds traits not natural to the plant | Keeps the species’ natural gene pool |
How GE works
- Relies on CRISPR-Cas tools, namely Cas9 and Cas12a, to modify native genes.
- Plants can be transgene-free, since Cas proteins are removed in later generations.
Policy support
- GE plants lacking foreign DNA are exempt from strict biosafety regulation.
- Approvals handled at the Institutional Biosafety Committee level.
- Government funding for GE research through ICAR and others.
Targets and innovation
- ICAR shortlisted editing targets: 24 field crops (178 genes) and 16 horticultural crops (43 genes).
- Indian scientists built a miniature editing tool using TnpB proteins, smaller, cheaper and able to avoid IP limits of standard CRISPR.
Significance
- Higher productivity, nutrition and resilience while sidestepping public resistance to GM.
- Could end the GM-era stagnation and make India a leader in safe, next-generation crop biotechnology.
Exam angle
- Only GM crop widely adopted: Bt cotton.
- Tools: CRISPR-Cas9, TALENs, ZFNs; new Indian tool uses TnpB.
- Approval body for GE: Institutional Biosafety Committee.