Krishi Suvidha | May 4, 2025
In a significant advancement for Indian agriculture, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has introduced two innovative genome-edited rice varieties, ‘Kamala – DRR Dhan-100’ and ‘Pusa DST Rice 1’. The unveiling, led by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, signifies a historic moment as India becomes the first nation worldwide to launch genome-edited rice varieties, with the potential to increase yields by up to 30% and tackle climate change challenges.
Revolutionising Rice Farming
These new varieties, created using cutting-edge genome-editing methods, derive from two commonly grown rice types, Samba Mahsuri (BPT5204) and MTU1010 (Cottondora Sannalu), which are cultivated across more than nine million hectares in India. The genome-edited varieties maintain the original advantages of these rice types while providing improved stress tolerance, adaptability to climate changes, and substantially higher yields. Notably, ‘Pusa DST Rice 1’ stands out as India’s first salt-tolerant rice variety, offering resilience against drought and salinity, making it especially well-suited for coastal areas.
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Key Benefits for Farmers and the Environment
The new rice varieties mature 15 to 20 days sooner than current options, use less water, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, supporting sustainable agricultural practices. Minister Chouhan noted that these varieties would decrease production costs and enhance yields by 20-30%, providing a viable solution to the ongoing issues of food security and climate change. “This is a historic day for Indian agriculture. These varieties will enable us to achieve greater production with reduced land usage, contributing to our aim of decreasing rice acreage by 5 million hectares while increasing output by 10 million tonnes,” Chouhan said at the launch event.
Bridging Lab to Land
ICAR launched its genome-editing research project in 2018 through the National Agricultural Science Fund, aiming to enhance climate resilience in rice. To guarantee that these advancements benefit farmers, ICAR scientists, in partnership with Krishi Vigyan Kendras, will engage with farmers every six months starting from the upcoming Kharif sowing season. “Our goal is to reach all farmers nationwide within the next three to four years,” stated Dr. Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension) at ICAR.
A Step Towards Self-Sufficiency
This is an important step in the field of agriculture. This step will enable us to fulfill the “minus-five plus ten” plan which will reduce our dependence on imports. Dr. M.L. Jat- Director General of ICAR said that “This is a historic day for Indian agriculture” he said that the role of biotechnology is very important because biotechnology should play an important role in meeting the climate challenges. He said that these varieties will soon come in the seed chain and will be available to the farmers through your public or private institutions. This is a very important opportunity for us and the farmers.
India exports 48000 crore Basmati which is a matter of pride for us. Yes, genome-edited varieties will also open new avenues for us in the world and will help us become a global agricultural leader and will also provide us nutritious food in a nutritious future. With this achievement, India has joined the select few countries who have developed genome-edited crops.
Sources: Business Standard, The Economic Times, The Hindu, Krishi Jagran, Agrigramodaya
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