The application of science-based innovations is the hallmark for the development of agriculture and for producing the desired quantity and quality of food for the ever-increasing population. The most cited example of innovation-led growth in agriculture is the use of dwarfing genes in the mid-1960s for a significant yield increase in wheat and rice through conventional breeding that gave birth to the Green Revolution. However, there are several new challenges faced by agriculture today, which need to be urgently addressed using the recent biotechnological approaches such as genome editing. Genome editing is a powerful technology for making desired and targeted alterations in an organism’s genome. The 2020 Chemistry Nobel Prize was awarded to the developers of this innovative technology: Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna.
Prof KC Bansal in a workshop on genome editing at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) founded by The Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, January 9-11, 2024
Application of more recent biotechnological innovations including genome editing is warranted for developing crops besides higher yields, with traits such as climate resilience, resistance to emerging pest/pathogens, efficient users of nutrients, water and solar radiation, and tolerance to multiple abiotic stresses, such as drought, high temperature and flooding, and enriched with high nutrition. In this regard, given the power, simplicity and precision of the genome editing technologies, there are unprecedented opportunities to develop new varieties more efficiently to address the above challenges.
As a scientist involved with genetic modification of crops for over three decades, I see a great opportunity ahead for another revolution in agriculture, particularly by developing smart crops with desired attributes to bring sustainability in crop production through genome editing. Since its first application in 2013 to improve crops, genome editing mediated by CRISPR-Cas system has emerged as a game changer to develop high-yielding and climate-resilient crops for sustainable development of agriculture.
In India, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have taken immediate steps for supporting plant genome editing research in India. DBT is supporting individual-centric as well as multi-institutional R&D projects on genome editing technologies and their applications. Network projects on crops and livestock have been initiated by the ICAR under the National Agricultural Science Fund scheme. Recently, Government of India has earmarked Rs 500.00 crore grant to ICAR covering 24 field crops and 15 horticultural crops.
While the advent of the green revolution resulted in self-sufficiency with regard to food production that enabled the government in enacting the Right to Food Act-2013 to feed many millions of people, but now is the time to address increasing crop yields and food production more sustainably with a focus on pulses and edible oilseeds. Further, to adress the issue of adaptation to the fast changing climate, major emphasis is needed for combining field stress tolerance with enhanced acquisition and use efficiency of nutrients, water and other natural resources so as to have more produce with less and less inputs. Emphasis is also needed on engineering crops such as cereals, oilseeds and millets, and other non-leguminous crops to fix atmospheric nitrogen to reduce dependence on chemical nitrogen application, and engineering crops particularly rice with less emission of green house gas, methane.
To promote research and development of genome edited crops, an enabling environment and positive policy space has already been created by the Government of India. Soon after the exemption from biosafety assessment was announced by the government in March 2022, guidelines and SOPs have been developed and notified, respectively, in May and October, 2022 for the effective use of these technologies for crop improvement. A road map has been suggested with priortised crops and traits for Indian agriculture (Bansal, KC et al, Current Science, July 10, 2022). Genome edited rice crop varieties with improved water use efficiency and higher grain yield have been developed by two ICAR laboratories: 1. Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, and 2. Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad. Both the edited rice events were tested in AICRP field trials in the 2023 cropping season.
While, several nations including India have already declared a category of genome edited crops that are free from foreign DNA as non-GMOs, what is needed is the global harmonisation of the regulatory frameworks across nations. This will help efficient development, release and trade of genome-edited crops to accelerate the pace of crop productivity enhancement in this era of climate change and to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals-2023 related to agriculture, food and climate change.
Further, to harness the full potential of genome editing for sustainable agricultural development, investment is needed in human resource development for young plant researchers, particularly breeders and capacity building across institutions, especially in low- and medium-income countries. With proper investment and prioritisation, public and private sector labs, and seed companies stand to gain for developing products for the benefit of farmers including doubling their income, livelihood security of smallholders and ensuring the availability of quality products at affordable prices to consumers and society at large. A strong viable partnership across academia and industry will further help realise the full potential of this powerful technology for a sustainable future.
In conclusion, it may be mentioned that genome editing has emerged as a game changer with huge potential to contribute significantly to food security, climate resilience, nutritional security and sustainable development of agriculture. Several nations around the world including India have declared the genome edited crops that are free from foreign DNA in the final product, as identical and indistinguishable from the ones developed through conventional breeding methods. In India, much emphasis is, however, desired on pulses and oilseed crops for raising productivity levels, and for developing new crop varieties with climate resilience and enriched nutritional content. Further, a focus on reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers and pesticides will help attain environmental sustainability.
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