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Agro Universities, Foodgrains, India, Seeds

Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985 are the first non-GM herbicide tolerant Basmati rice varieties tolerant to Imazethapyr 10% SL to be released for commercial cultivation in India.

Pusa Institute, New Delhi launched the seed sale of RobiNOweed Basmati Rice Varieties namely, Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985 tolerant to Imazethapyr 10% SL for Direct Seeded Rice cultivation. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ashok Kumar Singh, the Director, IARI, New Delhi highlighted that the major concerns in rice cultivation in north- western India include (a) depleting water table (b) labor scarcity for transplanting of rice and (c) the emission of greenhouse gas, methane under transplanted flooded condition. Direct seeded rice can address all these concerns. DSR reduces water usage significantly compared to traditional flooding method due to no continuous flooding, targeted water application, lower percolation losses, and decreased evaporation. Studies suggest DSR can save approximately 33 per cent of the total water requirement making it a sustainable choice, particularly in water scarce regions.

However, weeds are a major problem under DSR which needs to be addressed in order to ensure the success of DSR. In this direction, concerted research at ICAR-IARI, New Delhi has led to the development of two RobiNOweed Basmati rice varieties, Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985 which are the first non-GM herbicide tolerant Basmati rice varieties tolerant to Imazethapyr 10% SL to be released for commercial cultivation in India.

Pusa Basmati 1979

Pusa Basmati 1979 is a MAS derived herbicide tolerant near-isogenic line of Basmati rice variety “PB 1121” possessing mutated AHAS allele governing tolerance to Imazethapyr 10 per cent SL with seed-to-seed maturity of 130-133 days and average yield of 45.77 q/ ha under irrigated transplanted condition across two years of testing in the National Basmati trials.

Pusa Basmati 1985

Pusa Basmati 1985 is a MAS derived herbicide tolerant near-isogenic line of Basmati rice variety “PB 1509” possessing mutated AHAS allele governing Imazethapyr tolerance with seed-to-seed maturity of 115-120 days and average yield of 5.2 t/ha under irrigated transplanted condition across two years of testing in the National Basmati trials.

He elaborated extensively on the package of practices tailored for these two rice varieties when cultivated under Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) method. He stressed the importance of adopting necessary precautions for effective weed management in these crops. Given their tolerance to the broad-spectrum herbicide Imazethapyr 10 per cent SL, these varieties are poised to revolutionize weed control in DSR, thereby streamlining the cost of Basmati rice cultivation. Moreover, these varieties not only reduce the labour-intensive processes associated with weeding but also mitigate the environmental impact of traditional rice cultivation methods. This underscores their potential to contribute significantly to sustainable agriculture practices and the overall well-being of the agricultural ecosystem.

Dr. P.K. Singh, Commissioner of Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, underscored the importance of these varieties and appreciated the contribution of IARI in bringing improvements in the varietal traits targeted towards saving water, increasing yield with better climate resilience.

Dr D.K. Yadav, ADG(Seeds) at ICAR in New Delhi, emphasized the boon these two Basmati rice varieties would represent for farmers in the Basmati GI area. He highlighted the paramount importance of seeds as the primary input for crop cultivation.

Notably, IARI Basmati rice varieties hold a staggering 95 per cent share in the country’s total Basmati rice exports, which amounts to a whopping 51,000 crores. Dr Yadav urged farmers to actively promote these improved varieties to safeguard the food security of the nation. As a tangible step forward, seeds of these varieties were given to four farmers hailing from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. The other interested farmers were provided the seeds of these varieties from SPU on payment basis at a nominal price.

Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, SAARC

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Nepal to commemorate the International Year of Millet 2023

Beduram Bhushal Agriculture and Livestock Minister of Nepal expressed the country’s readiness to work with India in promoting millet as a staple food due to its high nutritional value.

During an event, Bhushal praised India for their leadership in the millet campaign and the renaming of the grains as ‘Shree Anna’, meaning auspicious grains.

Bhushal highlighted the high nutritional value of millet and its potential as a staple food for promoting health benefits.

The minister emphasised Nepal’s willingness to collaborate with New Delhi in promoting the consumption of millet, a campaign launched by the United Nations at India’s initiative.

In 2021, India proposed to the United Nations to declare 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYOM). The proposal gained support from 72 countries, and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets.

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Nepal to commemorate the International Year of Millet 2023.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Shrivastava highlighted the significance of India-Nepal cooperation in agriculture, specifically regarding millet production and market exploration.

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu collaborated

AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, World

India has supported the efforts of the UN Secretary-General in continuing the Black Sea Grain Initiative and hopes for an early resolution to the present impasse  

India has supported the UN’s efforts in continuing the Black Sea Grain initiative and expressed hope for an early resolution to the present impasse. India’s reaction came a day after Russia announced it was terminating the implementation of the UN-brokered deal that allowed the export of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilisers from Ukrainian ports, according to the Newsonair portal.  

Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador, said New Delhi is concerned about the recent developments in the region, which have not helped in securing the larger cause of peace and stability. She was addressing the UN General Assembly’s annual debate on the ‘Situation in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine’

Kamboj said India has supported the efforts of the UN Secretary-General in continuing the Black Sea Grain Initiative and hopes for an early resolution to the present impasse.  

Kamboj added India continues to remain concerned over the situation in Ukraine. The conflict has resulted in the loss of lives and misery for its people, particularly for the women, children and elderly, with millions becoming homeless and forced to take shelter in neighbouring countries. Moscow on Monday said it was terminating the implementation. 

India has supported the efforts of the

Agri Genomics, India, R&D

Prof. K C Bansal, Secretary, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi, and Former Director, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (ICAR), New Delhi

For a country like India, ensuring sustainable food security in a rapidly changing climate is a significant concern today. With the slow pace of yield increase, it is crucial to accelerate the genetic improvement of crops for enhancing food production and achieving self-sufficiency. The rapid adoption of science-based technologies for crop improvement, such as GM crops and gene-edited crops are likely to play major roles.

Science-based advancements of breeding technologies continue to dominate global agriculture, playing a crucial role in increasing food production. While conventional plant breeding has historically made significant contributions and continues to do so, plant genetic engineering has emerged as a powerful modern tool for crop improvement. Since 1996, several genetically modified (GM) crops with improved traits have been developed, and they have been widely adopted globally. Currently, they are grown in over 190 million hectares across 30 countries, including India. This makes plant genetic engineering the fastest-adopted technology in the history of modern agriculture. Furthermore, GM crops and their derived products have been used as food or feed in more than 70 countries over the last 25 years, demonstrating their safety to humans, animals and the environment.

In India, Bt cotton was the first GM crop to be commercialised in 2002, and its impact has been viewed as a great success story globally. Two decades later, in 2022, GM mustard hybrid DMH-11 and its parental lines were environmentally released in India, and genome editing was exempted in plants from biosafety assessment for crop improvement. These two modern science-based developments occurred in the interest of farmers and the national economy.

GM Mustard

In the mid-1960s, India experienced a Green Revolution that resulted in a significant increase in food production, from 50 million tonnes in 1950-51 to over 300 million tonnes in 2020-21. However, this progress was not replicated with any oilseed crop, which is urgently needed to meet our growing demands. Due to a serious deficit in domestic edible oil production, we heavily rely on imported edible oils.  In 2020-21, India imported 13.35 million tonnes of edible oils at a cost of around Rs 117,000 crore. Nevertheless, the approval for the environmental release of GM mustard hybrid DMH 11, developed by a public sector institution in India, with approximately 28-30 per cent higher yield, is a significant step towards reducing our dependence on imports. 

Mustard is predominantly a self-pollinating crop, making it difficult to develop high-yielding hybrids by crossing two diverse parental lines. To facilitate cross-pollination, a robust system has been developed in India using two transgenes: the barnase gene for male sterility (MS) and the barstar gene for the restoration of male fertility (RF). Hybrid seeds are produced by crossing the MS and RF lines. This two-gene system is also used worldwide in rapeseed, a sister crop of mustard, to develop GM hybrids that farmers grow on a large scale for higher yields.

To read more click on : https://agrospectrumindia.com/e-magazine

Prof. K C Bansal, Secretary, National Academy

Agro Universities, Climate, India, Nature, R&D, Sustainable Energy

On August 8, 2022, The ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh (IGFRI) signed an MoU with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi. 

IGFRI and TERI will collaborate in various areas including: 

– Rehabilitation of Red Mud Dumping Area and other degraded    areas such as Fly ash ponds, Coal, Limestone and Lignite Mines into Green Belt Development through grassland/ silvipasture / hortipasture.

– To provide suitable grass and fodder species, whenever required in research projects.
– Support in developing joint proposal preparation  as consortium partner for various agencies
– Improving Livelihood of farmers and  Forest Dependent Communities
– Climate Change Mitigation and Climate Vulnerability for adaptation
– Biodiversity Conservation
– Ecosystem Services and Carbon Finance Mechanism
– Training and capacity building on above subjects

IGFRI and TERI will implement joint research projects of common interests requiring expertise and logistics from both the parties and study impacts.

On August 8, 2022, The ICAR-Indian Grassland

Agri Genomics, Agro Universities, Agrotech

The workshop was held in association with National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute and Mohali and Biotech Consortium India

The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) recently organised a workshop on ‘Genome Editing in Agriculture: Science, Potential and Policies’ in association with National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute (NABI), Mohali and Biotech Consortium India Limited (BCIL), New Delhi. The goal of the workshop was to highlight the application of innovative technologies like genome editing in the crop breeding programmes and also to create awareness among the key stakeholders viz. scientists, students, agriculture officials and industry about the technology and its potential. Around 400 active participants including scientists, students, and research fellows from PAU and nearby institutions attended the workshop and listened to learned speakers very attentively.

At the inaugural session, Dr Parveen Chhuneja, Director, School of Agricultural Biotechnology, PAU welcomed all the dignitaries and the participants. Dr Ajmer Singh Dhatt, Director of Research, highlighted the need for innovative solutions to meet the challenges being faced by agriculture. Dr Vibha Ahuja, Chief General Manager, Biotech Consortium India Limited, presented a brief overview of the workshop.

In his keynote address, Prof Ashwani Pareek, Executive Director, NABI, Mohali, pointed out the need for technological innovation. Dr Shammi Kapoor, Registrar and Dr Gurjit S Mangat, Additional Director of Research, Crop Improvement-cum-Director GS Khush Institute of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, PAU also participated in the workshop. Experts from different institutes highlighted the advancements, potential and applications of Genome Editing in two technical sessions.

Dr Navtej Singh Bains, former Director of Research, PAU, delivered an informative talk on potential applications of gene editing in the breeding field, and vegetable and fruit crops. Dr Naveen Singh Bisht explained the manipulation of mustard oil through the editing of glucosinolates in Indian oilseed mustard.

Dr Baljinder Singh Nandra from the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) provided a glimpse of the national and international status of gene-edited plants and the importance of strong linkage between scientists and industry partners.

Dr Vibha Ahuja, Chief GM, Biotech Consortium India Limited, discussed the Government of India’s policies and procedures for the approval of genome-edited crops. Scientists from NABI presented their work on increasing β-carotene content in banana and iron (Fe) content in wheat grains. Scientists from PAU, Ludhiana presented their research on starch resistance wheat and potato, increasing the tomato shelf-life, reducing the acrylamide content in wheat and potato, haploid induction, and biofuel production in sugarcane through genome editing.

Later, an interactive session was held between researchers and speakers about the future of genome editing in crop improvement.

The workshop was held in association with