Context: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is set to begin confined field trials of genetically modified (GM) Maize in the ongoing kharif season.
PAU has received approval from the Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM), under the Department of Biotechnology, along with formal consent from the Punjab state government.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about GM crops; GM Maize; Regulations related to GM crops.
Confined Field Trials of GM Maize
- PAU will conduct confined field-trials of two varieties of transgenic Maize in collaboration with Bayer Crop Science Limited (formerly Monsanto).
- GM Maize has been genetically engineered with both herbicide-tolerant (HT) and insect-resistant Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) traits.
- Herbicide-tolerant (HT) Maize: To study weed-control efficacy in herbicide-tolerant maize hybrids with the application of Glyphosate-K salt.
- Insect-resistant (IR) Maize: To study the efficacy of insect-protected maize hybrids against targeted lepidopteran pests (stem borer; fall armyworm).
- Confined field trials are small-scale field experiments to address the biosafety requirements and evaluate the performance of specific traits in genetically engineered plants.
Criticism of Confined field trials of GM Maize trials:
Anti-GMO activists have expressed strong opposition to the project. The concerns include-
- Unintended environmental consequences including the risk of gene flow into nearby farms or wild varieties. Trials pose risks of genetic contamination and long-term ecological damage.
- Risk of potential long-term health risks associated with GM food products.
- Introduction of GM crops in India (even for research or confined trials) sets a dangerous precedent, particularly in Punjab where agricultural ecology is already under stress. Glyphosate-tolerant Maize trails are controversial as glyphosate (a herbicide) is currently banned in Punjab due to its negative impacts on human health and the environment.
- Lack of transparency and insufficient public consultation. Bayer’s involvement has been questioned given the global controversies surrounding GM seed patent enforcement.
The organisations have demanded transparency on the scientific basis for the approval and raised concerns over biosafety violations in previous GM crop trials at PAU.
PAU Maintains that:
- Trials were permitted only after receiving clearance from the Government of India’s Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM), under the Department of Biotechnology.
- Biosafety Research Level 1 (BRL-I) trials (preliminary) and Advanced level II (BRL-II) trials would be carried out under strict standard operating procedures, with mandatory permission from state-level committees.
Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) is the regulatory authority for BRL-1 trials (size limited to no more than one acre/trial site location).
Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the regulatory authority for Biosafety Research Level II (BRL- II) trials (size is generally limited to no more than 2.5 acres/trial site location).
What are GM Crops?
- Genetically Modified (GM) crops are plants that have had their DNA modified (altered) through genetic engineering.
- It involves inserting new DNA into the genome of a plant.
- The seeds produced by these plants will inherit the new DNA.
- E.g., BT cotton is a genetically modified variety of cotton that contains genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis.
Benefits of GM crops:
- Genetic modification is done to transfer a particular trait to the plant in order to:
- Increased the yield of a crop
- Increased nutritional content of a crop
- Developing resistance to:
- Abiotic stresses like temperature, salinity or herbicide-resistant
- Biotic stresses like insect-resistant crops.
Regulations related to GM crops:
- Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and their products are regulated under the “Rules for the Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/ Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, 1989.”
- The rules are notified under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. These rules regulate the use, research, and commercialisation of GMOs, especially for environmental and biosafety concerns.
- The commercial cultivation and the field trials of GM crops require clearance from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- After the GEAC clearance, the state governments have the power to approve (or reject) the field trials of particular GM crops in their respective states.
Status of GM crops in India
- BT cotton is the only GM crop that is commercially allowed for cultivation in India from 2002.
- Field trials of GM Mustard (DMH-11) were approved by GEAC in 2022, but its commercial release is still pending.