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India approves commercialization of GM mustard greens New high-yielding GM mustard varieties are expected to be developed soon

 foodmate 2022-12-15

World Agrochemical Network Chinese reported that recently, the Indian Genetic Engineering Evaluation Board (GEAC) said that it approved the commercialization of genetically modified mustard greens, which brought two positive signals to the process of agricultural genetic engineering in India: on the one hand, the field test results of India's first genetically modified mustard variety showed that the yield of mustard of this variety could be increased by 29%-37%, which has significant advantages in increasing its domestic mustard production to achieve self-sufficiency; On the other hand, the commercial release of more genetically engineered crop varieties in India will be better advanced.

Previously, the debate over GM crops intensified in India. On October 18, India's Genetic Engineering Approval Board (GEAC) approved an assessment of GM mustard grown in the open field, one of the sources of edible oil – a key step in commercial cultivation. But an anti-GM crop group disputed this: India's Supreme Court is scheduled for a hearing on November 17. If the Supreme Court ultimately upholds GEAC's decision, it would be India's first GM food crop. Many scientists expressed support for GEAC's decision. Rakesh Tuli, a crop geneticist at the University of Punjab, said the approval paves the way for the application of GM to many other crops and potentially reduces costs.

Many Indian scientists and agricultural experts have called for India to speed up approvals for GM crops, where farm sizes are shrinking as rapid urbanization and erratic weather patterns threaten food production such as rice and wheat. But conservative politicians and propaganda groups oppose GM crops, fearing they could harm food safety and biodiversity, as well as harm to human health. According to investigations, so far, in addition to genetically modified mustard, India has only approved the commercial cultivation of another GM crop in 2002: GM cotton. In 2009, GEAC approved genetically modified eggplant (Bt eggplant). But it has been stopped after a public backlash and advice from various Indian states that grow eggplant.

Rajesh Gokhale, Minister of Biotechnology, said that as climate change is affecting agricultural productivity, investment in new technologies is needed to cope with the future and ensure India's food and nutrition security.

GEAC made "a landmark decision" to help more GM crops be licensed for commercialization. Geneticist Deepak Pental agrees, and his team developed and tested problematic genetically modified mustard greens at Delhi University. More importantly, the decision will encourage scientists in both the public and private sectors to develop better varieties to deal with pests and predict complex weather caused by global warming. ″

Now, thanks to the approval of GEAC technical bodies, the case for GM mustard seems to be substantiated, clearly showing that edible oil crops are safe for human consumption and the environment. The Indian government is also positive about the commercial promotion of GM mustard. New high-yielding transgenic mustard hybrids are expected to be developed soon.

At the same time, the commercialization of genetically modified mustard greens in India has also paved the way for more of its excellent crop varieties to enter the market. On the one hand, this provides an opportunity to develop more excellent hybrid mustard varieties with higher yields, efficient use of water and fertilizers, improved oil quality and disease resistance; On the other hand, it will also help promote the commercial cultivation of more GM crops including rice, wheat, corn, eggplant, castor beans, etc.

About Indian genetically modified mustard greens

Domestic cooking oil consumption has increased 2.5-3 times since the 1990s, but production has increased only slightly. This has left India heavily dependent on edible oil imports to meet its domestic needs. According to statistics, in 2020-2021, India imported about 13.35 million tons of edible oil. Mustard oil is a widely consumed cooking oil in India, and the average yield of mustard greens in India is 1,000-1,300 kilograms per hectare, which is much lower than the more than 2,000 kilograms per hectare in GM hybrid cultivation countries such as Australia and Canada. In the next five to six years, India needs to increase edible oilseed production is expected to be as high as 20 million tons.

India's growing demand for mustard oil has largely driven the approval process for genetically modified mustard varieties by its agricultural regulators. Field trials of the genetically modified mustard variety DHM-11 under the supervision of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) showed that the variety had the advantage of increasing yields by 29%-37%. This will mean helping more Indian farmers to increase their incomes and encouraging more farmers to grow mustard greens, thereby increasing edible oil production, reducing dependence on imported edible oil, and enabling them to gradually become self-sufficient in the country.

Research on genetically modified mustard greens in India began about 40 years ago, with the initial aim of Pental's team to increase the yield of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea). Yields of this variety are generally below the global average because one-third of India's soil lacks the nutrient boron, and most mustard farms rely on rain rather than irrigation. Pental's team first made genetically modified mustard greens, Dhara mustard hybrid11 (DMH 11), in 2002. It contains three genes from the soil bacterium Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Two are used to prevent self-pollination and one imparts herbicide tolerance.

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India approves commercialization of GM mustard greens New high-yielding GM mustard varieties are expected to be developed soon

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