{"id":42720,"date":"2025-05-05T19:24:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T13:54:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=42720"},"modified":"2025-05-05T19:24:36","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T13:54:36","slug":"genome-edited-seeds-to-mark-second-green-revolution-beginning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/05-05-2025\/genome-edited-seeds-to-mark-second-green-revolution-beginning","title":{"rendered":"Genome-Edited Seeds to Mark Beginning of Second Green Revolution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Agriculture, Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Union Agriculture Minister announced the development of two genome-edited rice varieties and said the technological advancement would lead to a second green revolution in the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Genome Editing?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Genome editing refers to a group of technologies that enable scientists to <strong>precisely modify the DNA<\/strong> of an organism.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>One of the most advanced tools is <strong>CRISPR-Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-associated protein 9)<\/strong>, which acts like molecular scissors to cut specific sections of DNA.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It allows for precise corrections or modifications without introducing foreign DNA, which distinguishes it from traditional <strong>genetically modified organisms (GMOs).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In India, Site-directed nuclease (SDN)-1 and SDN-2 genome-editing techniques <\/strong>are permitted under biosafety regulations for general crops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>ICAR\u2019s Genome-Edited Rice<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ICAR has developed India\u2019s first genome-edited rice varieties \u2013 <strong>DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 2018, ICAR initiated genome-editing research to improve two major rice varieties \u2013 <strong>Samba Mahsuri and MTU 1010<\/strong> \u2013 under the <strong>National Agricultural Science Fund.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>These new varieties were developed using genome-editing technology based on <strong>CRISPR-Cas.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The outcome <\/strong>of this research is the two advanced varieties that offer the following benefits:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A 19% increase in yield,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A saving of 7,500 million cubic meters of irrigation water,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improved tolerance to drought, salinity, and climate stresses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>What are CRISPR-based technologies?<\/strong><br>&#8211; The CRISPR-Cas system is a<strong> tool to cut, delete, or add DNA sequences at precise locations<\/strong>, opening different windows to treat genetic disorders, develop drought-resistant plants, and modify food crops.<br>&#8211; <strong>CRISPR occurs naturally in some bacteria<\/strong>, as a part of their immune system that limits infections by recognising and destroying viral DNA.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Path towards Second Green Revolution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Higher Yields: <\/strong>Genome-edited varieties offer higher yields, similar to how high-yielding varieties boosted food production during the first Green Revolution.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stronger Climate Resilience: <\/strong>Unlike earlier Green Revolution crops, these varieties are tolerant to drought, salinity, and heat. This makes them more suitable for present and future climate conditions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Efficient Use of Resources:<\/strong> These new crops use less water and cut greenhouse gas emissions, correcting the overuse of water and chemicals seen during the first Green Revolution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lower Chemical Dependency:<\/strong> By being more resistant to pests and diseases, genome-edited crops reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers, lowering costs and environmental harm.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global Regulatory Consensus: <\/strong>Although genome editing using SDN-1 and SDN-2 techniques is allowed in India, many countries have not yet finalized their stance on such technologies.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This limits the export potential of genome-edited agricultural products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Corporate Control:<\/strong> If private companies hold patents or exclusive rights to genome-editing tools and the seeds developed through them, farmers may become dependent on expensive, proprietary technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Threat to Genetic Biodiversity:<\/strong> Overreliance on a few high-performing genome-edited varieties might reduce the diversity of crops cultivated across regions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The development of the varieties is a significant step toward India\u2019s goal of becoming a developed nation and promoting sustainable agriculture.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the <strong>2023-24 budget,<\/strong> the Government of India allocated <strong>\u20b9500 crores<\/strong> for genome editing in agricultural crops.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ICAR has also initiated genome-editing research for several crops, including oilseeds and pulses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The government is focusing on promoting public-private partnerships, streamlining regulations, and building capacity among scientists and farmers to ensure responsible use of the technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/genome-edited-seeds-to-mark-beginning-of-second-green-revolution-chouhan\/article69538185.ece#:~:text=Union%20Agriculture%20Minister\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Union Agriculture Minister announced the development of two genome-edited rice varieties and said the technological advancement would lead to a second green revolution in the country.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>What is Genome Editing?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Genome editing refers to a group of technologies that enable scientists to precisely modify the DNA of an organism.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">One of the most advanced tools is CRISPR-Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats-associated protein 9), which acts like molecular scissors to cut specific sections of DNA.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/05-05-2025\/genome-edited-seeds-to-mark-second-green-revolution-beginning\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42720"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42732,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42720\/revisions\/42732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}