India launches genome-edited rice varieties to boost yields and combat climate change

Taking a step toward climate-resilient farming, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan introduced two genome-edited rice varieties—‘DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala)’ and ‘Pusa DST Rice 1’—developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

These new strains aim to tackle environmental stress and are projected to boost rice yields by as much as 30%.

“It is an important day for us. Soon, these two new rice varieties will be made available to farmers,” said Chouhan.

He noted that the new varieties could improve yields by 20-30%, help conserve water, and lower greenhouse gas emissions linked to rice farming.

Recommended for several major rice-growing states, including Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Puducherry, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, the two new varieties are improved versions of the popular rice types Samba Mahsuri (BPT5204) and MTU1010 (Cottondora Sannalu).

The upgraded varieties retain the original traits while offering enhanced stress tolerance, better yields, and climate adaptability.

Researchers emphasized that the new rice strains offer strong drought resistance and better nitrogen-use efficiency.

DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala), in particular, has a shorter growth cycle—maturing in 130 days, about 20 days earlier than its parent variety.

This makes it suitable for faster harvesting and allows farmers to save water through fewer irrigation cycles and potentially grow multiple crops in a year.

The launch, however, has not been without controversy. The Coalition for a GM-Free India criticized the decision to release these genome-edited varieties, alleging corporate pressure behind the move.

“It is shocking that the government of India is doing unlawful things under pressure from corporate lobbies. There is an enormous body of scientific literature pointing to the lack of safety of gene editing techniques,” the Coalition said in a statement.

They argued that gene editing falls within the legal framework of genetic modification and raised alarms about the risk these new varieties pose to India’s rich rice biodiversity.

The group strongly objected to the government’s decision to deregulate SDN-1 and SDN-2 editing methods, claiming the varieties were introduced “without any safety testing” and marketed under the “smokescreen of higher yield/drought resistance.”

“A lot of studies show that a lot of traditional seed varieties are nutritionally superior, stress-tolerant, and therefore, resilient. They are open-source and don’t have intellectual property issues. They are the solution, therefore not GM crops,” said Kuruganti, a spokesperson for the Coalition for a GM-Free India.

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