A push for GM mustard disregarding science, the law

Subject : Science and technology

Section: Biotechnology

Concept :

A determined battle by environmentalists in the Supreme Court of India against Delhi University’s genetically modified (GM) herbicide-tolerant (HT) mustard is all that stands between GM food and Indian farmers and consumers.

GM crops

GM crops are quite different from conventional varieties and hybrids, such as those developed by farmers, agricultural research institutions and companies.
Biotechnologists insert select genes at a random location in the DNA of a plant to develop a GM crop.
The insertion makes a GM crop express traits that it ordinarily would not.
For instance, GM mustard has been altered to withstand the broad-spectrum plant-killer or herbicide glufosinate.
This makes it easier to develop hybrid mustard seeds for higher yields.
And farmers growing GM mustard can spray the herbicide to kill all plants except the mustard.

Convergence in risk assessment

The Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests made a specific reference to GM mustard, and asked the government to conduct a thorough, independent, and transparent assessment of long-term biosafety, environmental risk and socio-economic impacts.
Five of the six TEC members found HT crops completely unsuitable in the Indian context and warned of serious harm to the environment, rural livelihoods and sustainable agriculture if they were released.
Given the overwhelming political and technical consensus, the government needs to approach the issue of HT crops transparently and robustly with an emphasis on precaution.

India and GM Crops:

India allows the import of GM soybean and canola oil.
The only crops approved for cultivation are (bt) cotton.
India had an effective ban on other GM seeds for a considerable time.
The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) earlier this year cleared a proposal for commercial cultivation of GM mustard, and it was also approved by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

About Genetically Modified Mustard (DMH-11):

The full form of DMH is Dhara Mustard Hybrid. It is a genetically modified crop.
It carries a gene for herbicide resistance. i.e herbicide tolerant.
It has been developed by scientists from the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP), Delhi University.
They developed the hybrid containing two alien genes isolated from a soil bacterium called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.
The barnase-barstar GM technology was deployed to develop DMH-11.
The researchers a popular Indian mustard variety ‘Varuna’ (the barnase line) with an East European ‘Early Heera-2’ mutant (barstar).
It contains 3 important genes Bargene, Barnase and Barstar, all derived from soil bacterium.

Concerns associated with GM Mustard:

There is also an apprehension that the seeds of this crop cannot be used for regeneration. Hence, the farmers need to buy new seeds every time they want to grow the crops.
There is also a likelihood that these crops could lead to disruption in species diversity.
The most evident outcome of these crops is the spread of herbicide-resistant weeds across large tracts of agricultural land. This can lead to catastrophe in the long run.
Various studies reveal that introduction of herbicide-resistant or HT crops had led to adverse impacts on the environment. This outcome had been noticed in several countries like the US, Australia, Canada and Argentina.
There is the ethical question of whether it is correct to violate natural organisms’ intrinsic values by mixing among species.