Context: The Supreme Court on January 11 questioned the government on whether the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) had considered the reports of the court-appointed Technical Experts Committee (TEC) on the biosafety of transgenic mustard hybrid DMH-11 before approving it for environmental release.
GM Crops:
A crop which has gene artificially inserted into it from another species to give it some desired properties like pest resistance, longer shelf life, herbicide tolerance etc.
For e.g. - Golden rice.
Golden Rice is a new type of rice that contains beta carotene (provitamin A, a plant pigment that the body converts into vitamin A as needed). This compound is what gives this grain its yellow-orange or golden colour, hence its name.
Golden Rice is developed through genetic engineering. While ordinary rice does produce beta carotene, it is not found in the grain. Thus, scientists used genetic engineering to add the compound to the grain - a minor tweak that improved the grain’s nutritive value. The beta carotene in Golden Rice, which was made possible by the addition of two new enzymes, is identical to the beta-carotene found in green leafy and yellow-coloured vegetables, orange-coloured fruit, and even in many vitamin supplements and food ingredients.
Like ordinary rice, Golden Rice does not require any special cultivation practices, and generally has the same yield and agronomic performance.
How does genetic modification work?
Genetic modification of plants involves adding a specific stretch of DNA into the plant’s genome, giving it new or different characteristics.
- The first stage in making a GM plant requires transfer of DNA into a plant cell.
- One of the methods used to transfer DNA is to coat the surface of small metal particles with the relevant DNA fragment, and bombard the particles into the plant cells.
- Another method is to use a bacterium or virus. There are many viruses and bacteria that transfer their DNA into a host cell as a normal part of their life cycle. For GM plants, the bacterium most frequently used is called Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The gene of interest is transferred into the bacterium and the bacterial cells then transfer the new DNA to the genome of the plant cells.
- The plant cells that have successfully taken up the DNA are then grown to create a new plant.
Taking practical e.g. of Papaya
Status of GM Crops in India:
- Bt cotton is the only genetically modified (GM) crop that has been approved for commercial cultivation in 2002 by the Government of India.
- However, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests, in its report on ‘Genetically modified crops and its impact on environment’, submitted to parliament, recommended that GM crops should be introduced in the country only after critical scientific evaluation of its benefit and safety.
- No GM food crop has ever been approved for commercial cultivation in the country. However, confined field trials have been allowed for at least 20 GM crops. That includes varieties of GM rice which would have improved resistance to insects and diseases, as well as hybrid seed production and nutritional enhancements such as golden rice
- Bt Brinjal resistant to brinjal shoot fly was approved by GEAC in 2009 but due to 10 years moratorium imposed on GM crops by the Technical Expert Committee (TEC) appointed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, no further action on commercialization has been taken. Recently the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), MoEF&CC, Govt. of India has again allowed biosafety research field trials of two new transgenic varieties of indigenously developed Bt Brinjal in eight states during 2020-23.
- GM rice: Government of India has not approved commercial cultivation of genetically Modified (GM) rice and wheat in the country.
- GM Mustard: GEAC has again cleared the proposal for commercial cultivation of GM mustard. It gave necessary approvals for the cultivation of GM mustard. This will be the second GM crop after GM cotton that can be commercially cultivated in the country now.
GEAC:
- GEAC in India was set up to regulate & monitor GM crop production, and usage in the country.
- It has been set up under the Ministry for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. According to the 1986 rules on genetically engineered organisms.
- The main function of the statutory body is to regulate the use, manufacture, storage, import, and export of hazardous organisms, genetically engineered organisms and cells in India.
- Thus, GEAC must approve commercial production of GM crops in the country for any of them to be used.
Cultivation of unapproved GM crop is punishable offence:
- The Environment Protection Act, 1989 makes use of the unapproved GM crops a punishable offence attracting a penalty up to Rs. 1 Lakh and imprisonment for a term of five years.
- States have been asked to strengthen Biotechnology Coordination Committees and District Level Committees to monitor the illegal cultivation as well as take necessary action.
| MERITS of GM Crops: | ISSUES associated with GM crops: |
|---|---|
| Food security: Since 1996, biotech GM crops have contributed to food and feed security by increased productivity. | Gene flow: The transgene can be transferred from the GM crops to the sexually compatible species and can impact environment by production of hybrids. |
| Better income levels: Higher productivity gives farmers better chances to realise greater incomes and economic gains. | Non target effects: For e.g. effect of Bt toxin on monarch butterfly larvae. When the leaves of Bt maize were consumed by the monarch butterfly larvae it was a potential hazard to them. |
| Good alternative to decreasing land resources: The increasing population has led to decrease in arable land and shelter, which has led to exploitation of several natural habitats but GM crops has increased the production thereby will help in conserving the biodiversity by stopping the anthropogenic activities. | Effect on biodiversity: herbicide resistant GM crops may lead to reduction in number of weed species thereby reducing the weed diversity in the GM and neighbouring fields. |
| Integration with other farm practices: GM crops eliminate the necessity of pre-emergence spraying, thus zero tilling or minimum tilling can be integrated with these crops. | Effects on soil ecosystem: Bt toxin enters soil through the residues incorporated after the crop is harvested. Twenty-five fields in the Vardha region of India were selected to study effect of Bt-cotton. In these fields, 8-9% decline in carbon biomass and nitrogen biomass was recorded. |
| Soil and biodiversity conservation: It can lead to reduced soil erosion and conservation of soil microfauna and flora. Various studies have revealed that use of biotech crops in the last two decades has reduced the environmental footprints from agriculture. | Formation of superweeds: Continuous cultivation of GM crops may lead to the creation of superweeds because the weeds may evolve and may develop resistance to herbicide, creating a trouble to the farmers. |
| Crop protection: Weed control using GM technology enables control of some herbicide resistant biotypes, like black grass. The use of genetically engineered insect resistant crops has also reduced the use of chemical insecticides. | |
| Fighting climate change: Biotech crops have helped in mitigating challenges associated with climate changes like drought tolerant maize was released in 2013. |