By Ashok B Sharma, The Financial Express via Checkbiotech

Fourteen transgenic food crops have been approved for contained and limited field trials in the country. The trials are being conducted by both public and private sector institutions, according to a recent document prepared by the department of biotechnology (DBT).

The target traits of these crops include insect tolerance, herbicide tolerance, viral and fungal resistance and stress tolerance.

The transgenic food crops approved for contained field trials are the brinjal varieties developed by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Delhi and the Mumbai-based private seed company, Mahyco. IARI has developed the transgenic brinjal with the insertion of cry 1 Ab gene, while Mahyco has developed their variety with the insertion of cry 1 Ac gene.

Mahyco and Sungro Seeds Ltd, Delhi have developed their varieties of cauliflower with the insertion of cry 1 Ac gene. Sungrow Seeds has also developed transgenic cabbage with the insertion of cry 1 Ac gene.

The International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) which is headquartered in Patenceru near Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh has developed transgenic chickpea, groundnut and chickpea varieties which are in various stages of contained field trials. Icrisat’s transgenic chickpeas contain cry 1 Ac and Cry 1 Ab genes. Its transgenic groundnuts contain IPCVip and IPCV replicas.

The transgenic pigeon-pea developed by ICRISAT contains cry1 Ab and SBTI. Monsanto has developed transgenic maize containing CP4 EPSPS which is also under contained field trials.

Transgenic varieties of mustard are developed by IARI, NRCWS, Jabalpur, Teri, Delhi and UDSC, Delhi. IARI’s transgenic mustard varieties contain CodA and osmotin. The mustard varieties developed by NRCWS and UDSC contain bar, barnase and barstar. The transgenic mustard developed by Teri has Ssu-maize Psy and Ssu-tpCrtl. It may be recalled in context that transgenic mustard varieties earlier developed by ProAgro having bar, barnase and barstar was rejected by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC).

The Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) has developed transgenic potato with cry1 Ab gene while NCPGR, Delhi has developed transgenic potato with Ama-1 gene.

Rice is an important staple crop and seven organisations have developed transgenic rice.

The Hyderabad-based directorate of rice research has developed rice varieties for bacterial blight resistance and sheath blight using Xa-21, Cry1 Ab and gna gene. Osmania University, Hyderabad has developed transgenic rice using gna gene. IARI’s transgenic rice varieties contain Bt, chitinase, Cry1 Ac and Cry1B-Cry1 Aa.

Mahyco’s transgenic rice variety contains Cry1 Ac gene. The transgenic rice varieties developed by MKU, Madurai contain chitinase, B-1, 3-glucanase and osmotin. The Chennai-based MS Swaminathan Research Foundation has developed transgenic rice by borrowing genes from mangrove species. The Tamil Nadu Agriculture University has used chitinase in developing their transgenic rice variety.

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