First-ever genetically modified rubber planted in Assam
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Rubber Research Institute of India had developed the plant tailor-made for the weather conditions in the Northeast.
A Rubber Board analysis farm on the outskirts of Guwahati now sports activities the world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant tailor-made for the weather conditions in the Northeast.
The GM rubber has extra copies of the gene MnSOD, or manganese-containing superoxide dismutase, inserted in the plant, which is predicted to tide over the extreme chilly situations throughout winter — a significant factor affecting the expansion of younger rubber crops in the area.
The plant was developed on the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII).
Planting the GM rubber on the analysis farm at Sarutari off the freeway to Meghalaya capital Shillong on June 22, Rubber Board Chairman and Executive Director K.N. Raghavan stated the RRII had earlier developed two high-yielding hybrid clones of rubber tailored to the weather conditions of the Northeast.
“This is the first time any GM crop has been developed exclusively for this region after years of painstaking research in RRII’s biotechnology laboratory,” he stated.
Natural rubber is a local of heat humid Amazon forests and isn’t naturally suited to the colder situations in the Northeast, which is among the largest producers of rubber in India.
“Growth of young rubber plants remains suspended during the winter months, which are also characterised by progressive drying of the soil. This is the reason for the long immaturity period of this crop in the region. The MnSOD gene has the ability to protect plants from the adverse effects of severe environmental stresses such as cold and drought,” Dr. Raghavan stated.
Laboratory research performed on the RRII confirmed the GM rubber crops overexpressed the MnSOD gene as anticipated, providing safety to the cells. The plant is thus anticipated to determine properly and develop quick in the area.
Allaying unfounded fears about GM rubber, Dr. Raghavan stated the planting had been executed at an experimental degree following all necessary biosafety measures relevant to area trials involving GM crops.
There was no danger of genes flowing from the GM rubber into every other native species, a priority usually raised by environmental teams in opposition to GM crops in basic, Rubber Board officers stated.
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