GM mustard field trials to begin from rabi season

Subject: Science and Technology

Context-

The field trials of the GM mustard hybrid DMH-11, which has been granted approval for ‘environmental release’ by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) recently, will begin from the ongoing rabi season.

More on news-

The trials, known as performance evaluation trials, will be conducted under the supervision of ICAR Directorate of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (DRMR), Bharatpur, Rajasthan, as per the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) rules and guidelines.
The ICAR-DRMR is responsible for the All India Coordinated Research Projects on Rapeseed-Mustard in the country.

Genetically Modified Mustard (DMH-11)-

The CGMCP scientists have deployed the barnase-barstar GM technology to create what they say is a robust and viable hybridisation system in mustard.
This system was used to develop DMH-11 by crossing a popular Indian mustard variety ‘Varuna’ (the barnase line) with an East European ‘Early Heera-2’ mutant (barstar).
DMH-11 is claimed to have shown an average 28% yield increase over Varuna in contained field trials carried out by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Only a few companies are in charge of creating and selling modified seeds. With a near monopoly, this means that there are few choices available to those buying seeds.
Seeds can’t be replanted i.e. every plantation required buying of new seeds.
They can decrease species diversity.
The second concern is over GM mustard threatening or undermining the population of honey bees.
Mustard flowers are a source of nectar for honey bees and many other pollinator insects.

Need for development of Genetically Modified variety of Mustard-

The compelling motive here could be India’s spiraling edible oil import bill. The country produces only 8.5-9 million tonnes (mt) of edible oil annually, while importing 14-14.5 mt that entailed a record foreign exchange outgo of $18.99 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.

About Mustard crop-

One of the most significant and well-known winter oilseed cropin India is mustard.
It is primarily grown in India’s northern plains, while there are some cultivated areas in the country’s eastern region as well.
It is a member of the crucifer family, which includes several cultivated related species.
Toria, Yellow Sarson, Brown Sarson, Gobhi Sarsonor Canola, and Black Mustard or Banarasi Rai are among the additional crops included in the “Rapeseed & Mustard” group.
The little brown or yellow seeds have an oil content of up to 45%.
The cake that has been de-oiled is fed to animals.

Climatic conditions required for mustard-

Subtropical climates are ideal for growing mustard.
Since mustard thrives in a dry, chilly climate, it is typically grown during the Rabi season.
Temperature range- 10 °C to 25 °C.
Annual rainfall ranging from 625 to 1000 mm.
This crop needs a clear sky and no frost because it cannot survive frost.
The oil content of seeds can be increased by a number of conditions, including cold temperatures, sunlight, and adequate moisture.
Soil- Alluvial Loamy soil is optimal for mustard

Top 10 Mustard producing countries-

Nepal, Canada, Russia, Myanmar, Ukraine, United States of America, China, Kazakhstan, France, Czech Republic..

Top 10 Mustard producing states in India-

Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, Punjab.