Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Studies(IGIDR), and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) on ‘Harnessing Opportunities to Improve Agri-Food Systems’ on July 24-25 , 2014 in New Delhi. The two day conference aims to discuss the agricultural priority of the government and develop a road map to realise these priorities for improved agri food systems.

1. Challenges and Opportunities
of GM crops
IGIDR-IFPRI Conference
24-7-2014
Nagendra Singh
ICAR

2. Challenges and Opportunity of
GM Crops
Outline
1. What are GM crops
2. Why Do We Need GM crops
3. Present Status of GM Crops
4. Major Programs under NARS
5. Products under Evaluation
6. The Road Ahead-Challenges

3. What is GM Crop Technology
Traditional Plant Breeding
Selection of superior types from
variation available within that
species
Limited Scope
Genes can be transferred
across the species barrier
Limitless potential
Transgenic (GM) Technology
X

4. What is GM Crop Technology
Transgenic
Technology
Precise
Desired
gene
Commercial variety New variety
Transformation
=
(only desired gene is transferred)
Traditional
Breeding
Linkage drag
Donor variety Commercial variety New variety
Desired
Gene
X
=
(many genes are transferred)
Crossing

5. Rate of Gain in Ag. Productivity is Declining
Developing
countries
World Developed
countries
0
1
2
3
Percentageincreaseperyear
1967–1982
1982–1994
1995–2020
Why Do We Need GM?

6. Why Do We Need GM?

7. Why Do We Need GM Crops?
• Productivity enhancement
• Nutritional and processing quality
• Safer food-from chemical to genetic
• Designer foods
• Fiber crops
• Timber
• Bio-energy
• Bio-fertilizer
• Bio-pesticide

8. Global Adoption of GM Crops
India is now 2nd in global cotton production

9. • First GM crop released
in 2002 by Mahyco
• 11 million ha in 2011-12
• Several hundred hybrids
• 100% Yield gain
• 50% reduction in
pesticide use
• >200% increase in profit
Status of Bt-Cotton in India
India is now 2nd global cotton producer

10. Phases in Transgenic Development & Commercialization
Gene
Discovery
Genetic
Transformation
Transgenic
Development
Evaluation
of Transgenics
Molecular
Breeding
Comme-
rcialization
• Genes
• Promoters
• Constructs
• Nuclear
• Plastid
• Events
• Genotypes
• Biosafety
• Agronomy
• Field trials
• MAS
• Variety
development
• Farmers
• Consumers
Gene
Discovery
Genetic
Transformation
Transgenic
Development
Evaluation
of Transgenics
Molecular
Breeding
Comme-
rcialization
Gene
Discovery
Genetic
Transformation
Transgenic
Development
Evaluation
of Transgenics
Molecular
Breeding
Comme-
rcialization
• Genes
• Promoters
• Constructs
• Nuclear
• Plastid
• Events
• Genotypes
• Biosafety
• Agronomy
• Field trials
• MAS
• Variety
development
• Farmers
• Consumers
GM Crops Time line
From Gene to GM Seeds at Farmer’s field0 10 year

11. Transgenics
 Rice
 Sorghum
 Maize
• Pod Borer
 Pigeon pea
 Chick pea
• Boll worm
 Cotton
• Fruit borer
 Tomato
 Brinjal
• Aphid
 Brassica
. Capsule borer
Castor
. Insect/pests
Groundnut
Drought and
salinity stress
Brassica
Tomato
Rice
Sorghum
Chickpea
Groundnut
Potato
Delayed ripening
Tomato
Fungal resistance
Rice
Banana
Virus resistance
Cotton
Soybean
Tomato
Potato
Banana
Papaya
Cassava
Insect/pests
Major Programs under NARS
ICAR- NPTC Project

12. RCGM contained open field trial (2006-07, 2007-08)
Bt-cotton variety Anjali carrying Bt cry 1Ac,
cry 1 Aa3 genes (LRK– 516 in 2006-07)

13. RCGM Contained Open Field Trial (2006-07, 2007-08)
Desi cotton (G. arboreum), Cultivar RG-8-Bt
carrying Bt cry 1Ac, cry 1Aa3 genes

14. RCGM Contained Open Field Trial of Transgenic
Mustard (2005-06)
Wild Type Transgenic
Wild Type Transgenic
Osmotin gene under stress inducible promoter

15. Tomato variety ‘Kashi Vishesh’, incorporating DREB1A gene (right
side) show enhanced drought tolerance as compared to non-GM
control plants (left side). (Courtesy Dr. Major Singh, IIVR Varanasi)
Drought tolerant tomato

16. b c
e
d
control Transgenic
trs8
trs18trs19
trs 14
trs6trs15
a
Symptoms caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp cubense race 1 after challenging of
transformed banana plants and untransformed plants. (a) External symptoms of
transformed banana plants
b. vascular discoloration of transgenic plants along with control treated with
Fusarium spores. b) Control plant treated with Fusarium spores. c- e) Transgenic
banana showing resistance to Fusarium wilt (Plant c to e represent -19,14 and 6)
Banana Fusarium Wilt (Fusarium oxysporum cubense)
-Sukhada Mohandas, IIHR Bangalore

17. Bt-BRINJAL VARIETIES with Cry 1Ac gene
IIVR, UAS-D, TNAU
Transgenics Developed outside the NPTC Project
BRL II Trial
Public-private Partnership With Mahyco
ABSP II

18. Transgenic Golden Rice for Amelioration of
Vitamin A Deficiency in Rice Eaters
30% of the Indian population is malnourished
>50 % are anemic , mostly women and children

19. Golden Rice
Stability shown in GH at IRRI and field tests in the USA
Provitamin A levels 5X the original materials
Backcrossing/selection into indica rice varieties in progress
Expected release in India (2011-13)
Freedom to release needs attention
Cocordrie GR (Syngenta) Golden Rice indica background

20. ferritin 35S g7barGluB-1nos
Sst I Bam HI Hind III
ferritin Glo-Pnos
Sst I Bam HI Kpn I
ferritin Pro-Pnos
Sst I Bam HI Kpn I
Krishnan et al. Current Science, 2003
de-Vasconcelos et al. Plant Science 2003
High Iron and Zinc Rice
Control
Transgenic

21. Quality Protein Potato
Seed Albumin from Amaranthus hypochondriachus
(Balanced amino acid composition)
Have added a high quality protein in Potato

22. RNAi for blast tolerance in rice – some of the selected
putative tolerant entries (T4) in the blast screening nursery
Transgenic product development by Indian private sector

23. 75 days after transplanting
Observation for white earheads due to YSB
Bt Rice

24. Herbicide tolerant cotton - Phenotypic observations
at 14 days after spray
Non-Spray
Manual
Weeding
1.4% Glyphosate Spray
Non transgenic line Transgenic Events
Herbicide
Tolerant
Events
Herbicide
Susceptible
Event
No
weeding

25. 1. Food and Feed safety
2. Development of Super weeds
3. Loss of Soli fertility
4. Loss of genetic diversity
5. Dominance of MNCs
6. Unnatural (Moral and ethics)
Opposition to GM

26. Opposition to GM: Moral and Ethical Issues
Are we playing God?
Natural Stable Population: Death Rate = Birth Rate
The Population Explosion: Death Rate << Birth Rate
Choice: Aging population vs Growing population?
Role of Technology: Crucial to sustaining a growing
population before it starts aging

27. Interspecific gene transfer:
How unique are they?

28. Graphical representation of homology of predicted rice genes
with expressed genes in 20 other species

29. Action Plan
1. Bio-safety Evaluation and Regulatory Mechanism
BRAI, Role of ICAR; Bio-safety testing labs, Institute for Biosafety Bio-
security, Enforce regulation, Efficient regulation, Research on resistance
management; Central and state regulations, Cis-genics and INtragenics
2. Pre- and Post-release Monitoring and Evaluation of GM Crops
Mechanism for M&E in BRAI/GEAC, Accountability and violation,
Impact of Bt-cotton in India
3. Accessibility of Approved GM Seeds to the Farmers
NSC, SSC, MRP, Subsidy, Seed Bill with farmer’s rights
4. Research and Development including PPP
Mission mode GM development in public sector and PPP,
Professional Bio-safety evaluation, IPR issues, Cis-genics, Orphan crops
5. Education and Public Awareness
Remove ignorance apprehension, Scientist -public integration,
Mass media electronic and print, KVK, FLD

30. The Road Ahead
1. The NARS public institutions and Indian private sector
have shown the capability of developing useful transgenic
events but need enhanced capacity to be globally
competitive
2. Global IPR regime makes it imperative to have our own
genes and transgenic events to make transgenic seeds
affordable to the farmers
3. R & D in frontier areas of gene discovery and transgenic
development through state-of-the-art National
Institutions required (Genome decoding of Indian Species
and Functional Genomics)
4. Human capital need to be developed in the frontier
scientific areas including Genomics, Bioinformatics and
Nanobiotechnology
5. Policy issues including, efficient regulation and
technology competitiveness need attention to facilitate
commercialization

31. Thank You