Supercharged Biotech Rice

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences recently demonstrated how a transcriptional regulator can increase grain yields and speed up rice growth.

Image Source - Science

The grain output from this "supercharged biotech rice" is 40% higher.

Key Highlights of the Report

Supercharged Rice:

• According to the study, a Chinese rice variety's yield was increased by up to 40% after receiving a second copy of one of its own genes.
• The rice plant benefits from having a second copy of a single gene called OsDREB1C because it increases photosynthesis and nitrogen uptake, speeds up blooming, and absorbs nitrogen more effectively, producing grains that are bigger and more plentiful.
• The adjustment increases the plant's ability to absorb fertiliser and speeds up photosynthesis and flowering, all of which could result in greater crop yields.
• The same "native" gene was introduced once more by the researchers, not any foreign genes (as in the case of BT cotton or BT soybean). Genetic modulation is the ideal term to describe this technique.
• Gene modulation is the act of temporarily changing gene expression levels without affecting the cellular DNA underneath.
• It isn't a genetic modification (GM) and it's not a transgenic plant that has received genetic material from another source.

Significance in India’s Context

• India should strive to maintain its leadership position in the world in the production and marketing of rice, hence this report is especially pertinent to India.
• The largest exporter of rice in the world is India. In the years 2021–2022, it sent 18.75 million metric tonnes of goods abroad, earning $6.11 billion.
• The second-largest producer of rice was Vietnam.
• In order for India to continue and enhance its status as the world's top producer and exporter of rice, strategies must be discovered to raise rice production and exports, which must be significantly higher than the 18.75 million tonnes now exported.
• Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, and Haryana are home to several top-notch rice researchers, and there are genetic engineers working in numerous labs all over India.
• To strengthen India's position as the world's top exporter of rice, the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare can collaborate with the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and nutritionists from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) can assist these researchers.

About rice

• It is a Kharif crop that needs high temperatures (over 25°C), high levels of humidity, and an average annual rainfall of at least 100 cm.
• India's northern and northern-eastern plains, coastal regions, and deltaic areas are all where rice is farmed.
• The best kind of soil for cultivating rice is one that is deeply clayey and loamy.
• West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab are the top three states for rice production.
• Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, and Kerala are states with high yields.
• The climatic conditions allow for the cultivation of two or three rice crops in a farming year in West Bengal and the southern states.
• Three paddy crops—Aus, Aman, and Boro—are farmed in a year in states like Assam, West Bengal, and Odisha
• Most Indians depend on it as their main food source.
• India is the world's second-largest rice producer. In India, rice is grown on around one-fourth of all arable land.

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