Topic:-

GM CROPS IN INDIA
 Content
 Introduction
 Need of Gm crops
 Top 10 countries by under biotech crops in 2015
 Bt- cotton
 Bt- Brinjal
 GM Mustard
 Controversies and Moratoriums associated with GM Crops in India – Timeline
 Conclusion
 References
 Introduction
Genetically modified crops (GM crops ) are plants whose DNA has been modified by
using genetic engineering techniques . It includes insertion into a plants genome one or several
gene from another species of plant or even from a bacterium, virus or animal. Despite having just
one GM crop (BT cotton ) India is the fourth largest producer behind USA, Brazil and
Argentina.

In India GEAC(Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee), under Ministry of Environment &

Forests is the primary body which is responsible for granting permits to conduct experiment and
large scale open field trials and also grant approval for commercial.

( www.isaaa.org: Research: Atul Thakur)

Need Of GM Crops

Reduce use of
herbicides

Reduce use of pesticides

Improve crop quality

Improve nutritional quality

Top 10 countries by under biotech crops in
2015(million hectares)
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24.5

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3.7

3.6

3.6
2.9

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( www.isaaa.org: Research: Atul Thakur )

 Bt - Cotton
 Cotton the most important commercial crop of India,
consumes more than 45% of the total pesticides used in our
country.
 American boll worms alone cause yield reduction upto 40-
70%
 The first commercial Bt cotton variety was released in USA
by M/S Monsanto ( Bollgourd ) which contains Cry 1Ac gene
of Bacillus thuringiensis.
 Ever since three Bt cotton hybrids (MECH-12,MECH-
162,MECH-184) have been approved for commercial
cultivation in India during March, 2002
 Recently Bt cotton variety developed as Bollgourd-II, having
both genes of cry 1Ac and cry 2Ab gene (2006) which is
known as the second generation of Bt cotton

(Barwale et al - Prospects for Bt cotton technology in India.AgBioForum)

Mode Of Action Of The Toxin
 Impact of Bt on soil

Litters, and other plant parts

drops on soil Rhizospheric zone
contains many
Decomposition beneficial microflora

Bt proteins have deleterious

Cry proteins get released into
effect on soil microflora
soil and get accumulated
and macroflora
Impact of Bt on Alters
insect the diversity
diversity of
predators and
parasitoids for
example Bracon
greeni, Chelonus
pectinophorae

The
reduced insecticide
Reduction in
use in Bt cotton
Helicoverpa spp.
increase the minor
and some other
insect pest’s like
lepidopterous
whitefly, jassids
species
thrips, aphid and
Bt Cotton cotton mealy bug
How Spread of Bt Cotton Contaminates
the Food Chain
● It is a non-food crop, it is clear that when cattle, sheep, goats etc. feed on Bt cotton residues,
then health hazards also spread to the entire food-chain.
● According to a cover-story in the Tehelka journal, “The GEAC (Genetic Engineering
Approval Committee) in January 2008, cited reports from the Indian Veterinary Research
Institute (IVRI) and the Andhra Animal Husbandry Department which showed ‘conclusive
proof of safety’ to animals from Bt cotton feed.
● But when Anthra, a veterinary research organisation, filed an RTI with the IVRI asking for
a copy of the report, the institute responded saying ‘no studies had been done by them and
that the IVRI had not submitted any reports to the GEAC’.
 Cont’d…

● Dr Sagari R. Ramdas, co-Director of Anthra, between 2005 and 2009 an organisation led
by women veterinary scientists researching the impact of Bt cotton on animals in
different parts of India, has been closely investigating the reported morbidity and
mortality observed in sheep and goat flocks, which have been grazed on harvested Bt
cotton crop in Andhra Pradesh.
● The possible routes of cry protein entering in human is through the consumption of meat
or milk of animals which fed on Bt-cotton.

( Institute of Social Science, New Delhi)

( ICAC recorder,2020)
 Why Bt Cotton Failed in India
High cost of seeds
Bt cotton seeds are
01 available for all the farmers but
the seeds are not at all affordable
prices to purchase where Indian
farmers are small and marginal.
Sucking pests
02 Bt cotton had
engineered against bollworms
but resulted in an upsurge of
sucking pest which leads to
overuse of pesticides
Non-Adoption of
refuge plants
03 A refuge is a strip of
non-Bt plants should be planted
around the Bt field which can act as
a feed for bollworm. However,
Indian farmers don’t follow this.
Natural Enemies
04 Bt cotton had an adverse
impact on parasitic natural enemies of
cotton bollworm. The population of
parasitic natural enemies in bt cotton
field are significantly reduced. eg.
Bracon greeni, Chelonus
pectinophorae
 Bt-brinjal
• Bt-Brinjal is the first genetically modified food crop in India.
• Bt-Brinjal has been development by inserting a gene cry1Ac
from a soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis through
an agrobacterium mediated gene transfer.
• It is a genetically modified brinjal developed by the
Maharashtra hybrid seed company ltd. (Mahyco), a leading
Indian seed company.
• The GM brinjal gives resistance against the insect brinjal
shoot borer( leucinodes orbonalis ).
• 50-90% of damage is caused by fruit and shoot borer.
Commercial history of Bt brinjal in India
● The agreement to develop Bt brinjal was decided in 2005
between Mahyco and two agricultural universities – the
University of Agricultural Sciences and Tamil Nadu
Agricultural University.
● A committee set up in 2006 found that the Bt brinjal was safe
and equivalent to its non-Bt counterpart, but it also concluded
that more studies were needed to examine the benefits it would
bring with regard to pest management and pesticide reduction. It
recommended that large-scale trials be carried out. In 2009, a
second committee felt that tests have been adequately carried
out and concluded that Bt brinjals could be viable for
commercial use.

(www.isaaa.org)
 Cont’d…
• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) cleared
BT brinjal for commercial use in India on 14 October 2009.
When concerns were raised by farmers, scientists and NGOs,
the Central Government announced in 2009 that it needed more
time to test how safe the BT Brinjal was before approving it for
commercial use.
• In 2010, India has banned the cultivation of Bt brinjal, it was
announced that the government would be putting a 10-year
moratorium on the commercialization of Bt brinjals, citing that a
thorough field test must be carried out before it can be used by
farmers.

(www.isaaa.org)
 Major concerns over Bt - Brinjal
● Environmental Impact: The use of pest-resistant Bt Brinjal may
lead to the extinction of species considered important for farm
ecology.
● Bt Brinjals can become costly: Companies that own Bt Brinjal
seeds can charge a high price for their procurement, as it is
predicted that its high yield and increased shelf life will fuel
demand. If that is the case, it might lead to a scenario where small
and marginal farmers can ill afford Bt brinjal seeds.
● Concerns regarding Nutrition: Scientists are of the opinion that
Bt brinjal poses a serious health risk, as its resistance to antibiotics
can make medicines ineffective. There also might be adverse
effects of forming allergens and other anti-nutritions in foods.
 Cont’d…
● Implications for consumers and farmers: National Institute of Agricultural Economics
and Policy Research’s anticipation that Bt brinjal’s high yield and increased shelf life will
benefit consumers and farmers owing to cut in retail price of brinjals ignores the scenario that
companies might charge premium prices for Bt brinjal seeds, in which case farmers may not
benefit at all. Critics claim that patent laws give developers of the GM crops a dangerous
degree of control/ dominance over the food supply that results in the over domination of
world food production by a few companies.

● Biosafety Issues: Crops like rice, brinjal, and mustard, among others, have their origin in
India and introducing genetically modified versions of these crops could be a major threat to
the vast number of domestic and wild varieties of these crops Biodiversity is critical for
nutrition and sustainability, and the government’s task force on biotechnology (2004) had
recommended that no GM crop be allowed in biodiversity-rich areas.
 GM Mustard
● Genetic Engineering appraisal committee (GEAC)
recommended the environment release of the
genetically modified mustard (Brassica juncea)
variety DMH (Dhara Mustard Hybrid)-11
● The development of new generation hybrids
commercialisation of the country’s first GM food
crop.
● The GEAC said that the commercial use of DMH-
11 hybrids will be subject to the seed act 1966,
and related rules and regulations.
 Need of GM Mustard
• Mustard is cultivated by around 6 million farmers in around 6.5-7 million hectares of land
across the states Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.

• Inspite being the most prominent oilseed crop, India’s consumption rate is more than
production rate that’s why India need to import oil from other countries.

• The average yield of existing mustard varieties is around 1000-1200 kilogram per hectare
while the global average is over 2000-2200 kgs.

• DMH-11 has been shown to deliver 30 per cent higher yields than existing varieties.

(Business standard)
 What is DMH-11?
• DMH-11 is an indigenously developed transgenic mustard. It is a genetically modified variant
of Herbicide Tolerant (HT) mustard.
• DMH-11 is a result of a cross between Indian mustard variety ‘Varuna’ and East
European ‘Early Heera-2’ mustard.
• It contains two alien genes (‘barnase’ and ‘barstar’) isolated from a soil
bacterium called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens that enable breeding of high-yielding
commercial mustard hybrids.
• Barnase in Varuna induces a temporary sterility because of which it can’t naturally self-
pollinate. Barstar in Heera blocks the effect of barnase allowing seeds to be produced.
• “Bar gene” maintains the genetic purity of hybrid seed and responsible for herbicide
tolerance.
 Technique
East Indian
European
Hybrid
Varuna
Variant DMH-11
Variant

Barstar restores male Barnase - Make male Fertile Hybrid

fertility in offspring sterile

Bar the third gene introduced protects the mustard from a herbicide called glufosinate by producing
phosphinothricin. Glufosinate is commercially sold as Basta
 Benifical effect on Honey bee
● According to South Asia Biotechnology Centre (SABC),
GM mustard is likely to have beneficial effect on honey bee
population based on their relatively enhanced foraging
behaviour resulting in increasing honey production and
income of beekeepers in mustard growing areas.
● In GM mustard hybrid DMH-11 is fully fertile with pollen
viability similar to the parental line Varuna and has fully
developed nectaries.
● Around 50-60 per cent of the total production of honey in
India is mustard honey which makes the crop vital for the
survival of the honey industry.
 Major concerns over GM Mustard
● A genetically modified crop would impact honey production in India, honey cultivator
have opposed the GM mustard variety and ask the government not to approve it for
commercial cultivation claiming that it may adversely affects the livelihood of lakhs of
farmer.
● This has raised fear that farmers may resort to excessive use of toxic herbicides which
can lead to weeds becoming resistance to them and the emergent of so called super
weeds.
● Critics are also concerned about herbicide residue on GM crop.
● Monopoly of Basta.
Controversies and Moratoriums associated
with GM Crops in India – Timeline
 2002 – Bt cotton introduced in India.
 2006 – Second generation of Bt cotton.
 2010 – Then the environmental minister Jairam Ramesh blocked the release of Bt
Brinjal until further notice owing to a lack of consensus among scientists and opposition
from brinjal-growing states. No objection certificates from states were made mandatory for
field trials.
 2012 – Parliamentary standing committee on agriculture, in its 37th report asked for an end to
all GM field trials in the country.
 2013 July – Environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan put on hold all trials following SC
panel suggestions.
 Cont’d…
 2014 March – GEAC (UPA government) approved field trials for 11 crops, including
maize, rice, sorghum, wheat, groundnut and cotton.
 2014 July – 21 new varieties of genetically modified (GM) crops such as rice, wheat,
maize and cotton have been approved for field trials by the NDA government in July
 2016: GEAC gave green signal to GM Mustard for field trial, but SC stayed the order
and sought public opinion on the same.
 There are as many as 20 GM crops already undergoing trails at various stages.

(http://agbiosafety.unl.edu/education/summary.htm)
(Accessed on November 24, 2016)
 Conclusion
Genetically modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world’s
hunger and malnutrition problems. Protect and preserve the environment by increasing
yield and reducing reliance upon pesticides and herbicides. Yet there are many
challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation.
The GMOs can be complementary to the traditional crops but by no means can they
replace the traditional crops.
 References

● ICAC recorder,2020
● www.isaaa.org
● Barwale et al - Prospects for Bt cotton technology in India.AgBioForum
● All India coordinated project on cotton (AICCIP)
● Institute of Social Science, New Delhi
● The Hindu Bureau
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