Context

Rubber Research Institute of India had developed a rubber plant tailored for the climatic conditions in the Northeast.

About

About the Genetically modified organism (GMO)

• A genetically modified organism (GMO) or living modified organism (LMO), is any organism whose genetic material has been modified.
• Mass production of GM technology-based human insulin, vaccines, growth hormones and other drugs has greatly facilitated the availability and access to life-saving pharmaceuticals are the results of Genetic Modification.
• Under this, the gene is incorporated into the DNA of crop plant using laboratory-based gene gun or agrobacterium approaches.

The Genetically modified rubber plant of Kerala

• This is the world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant tailored for the climatic conditions in the Northeast.
• The plant was developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII).
• This is the first time any GM crop has been developed exclusively for a particular region.
• Natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon forests and is not naturally suited for the colder conditions in the Northeast, which is one of the largest producers of rubber in India.
  • The growth of young rubber plants remains suspended during the winter month.
• The GM rubber would tide over the severe cold conditions during winter, which impacts its growth.
• The GM rubber has additional copies of the gene MnSOD or manganese-containing superoxide dismutase.
  • The MnSOD gene can protect plants from the adverse effects of severe environmental stresses such as cold and drought.

Modification Process Bt cotton is the only crop that got permission to be grown as GMO. Other crops such as BtBrinjal, Potato are waiting for trials and clearance. Indian farmers started cultivating Bt cotton in 2002-03. By 2014 the area had expanded to 11.6 million hectares and nearly 96 per cent of the cotton area was covered by Bt cotton. India became the fourth largest cultivator of GM crops by acreage and the second-largest producer of cotton.