GM crops will make edible oil cheaper: govt

Subject :Science and Tech

Section: Biotechnology

Context:

The Supreme Court said it only wanted what was good for India even as the government argued that growing genetically modified (GM) crops such as mustard would make quality edible oil cheaper for the common man and benefit the national interest by reducing foreign dependence.

GM Crop

Conventional plant breeding involves crossing species of the same genus to provide the offspring with the desired traits of both parents.
Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the seeds to get the desired effects.
The alien gene could be from a plant, an animal or even a soil bacterium. E.g. Bt cotton has alien genes from soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
- It allows the crop to develop a protein, toxic to the common pest pink bollworm.
In Bt brinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer.
Seeds produced using genetic engineering are called Genetically Modified Seeds.

Legal position of genetically modified crops in India

In India, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body that allows for commercial release of GM crops.

What is Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)?

It is responsible for the appraisal of activities involving large-scale use of hazardous microorganisms and recombinants in research and industrial production from the environmental angle.
The committee is also responsible for the appraisal of proposals relating to the release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms and products into the environment including experimental field trials.
GEAC is chaired by the Special Secretary/Additional Secretary of MoEF&CC and co-chaired by a representative from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).

In 2002, the GEAC had allowed the commercial release of Bt cotton.
Use of the unapproved GM variant can attract a jail term of 5 years and fine of Rs 1 lakh under the Environmental Protection Act ,1989.

DMH-11

DMH-11 is an indigenously developed transgenic mustard. It is a genetically modified variant of Herbicide Tolerant (HT) mustard.
DMH-11 is a result of a cross between Indian mustard variety ‘Varuna’ and East European ‘Early Heera-2’ mustard.
It contains two alien genes (‘barnase’ and ‘barstar’) isolated from a soil bacterium called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens that enable breeding of high-yielding commercial mustard hybrids.
Barnase in Varuna induces a temporary sterility because of which it can’t naturally self-pollinate. Barstar in Heera blocks the effect of barnase allowing seeds to be produced.
DMH-11 has shown approximately 28% more yield than the national check and 37 % more than the zonal checks and its use has been claimed and approved by the GEAC.
“Bar gene” maintains the genetic purity of hybrid seed.