GM Mustard: ICAR may conduct demonstration trials and field tests before seed production

Indian Council of Agriculture Research may carry out “field test” and “demonstration trials” with the genetically modified mustard seeds over the next few months before the engineered oil seeds are available for farmers, top agriculture scientists said here on Monday, presenting a two to three-year long window period for commercial production of GM seeds.

The Directorate of Rapeseed and Mustard Research, Bharatpur has taken two kg of seeds for testing, demonstration and hybrid development while another eight kg seeds would be used to sow the GM mustard in 50-100 small plots in Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana – the four key mustard producing states.

“The GM mustard has the potential to double farmers’ yield by helping create more productive hybrids in future. The seed modification is critical as it is the most potent material for yield increase,” said K C Bansal, secretary, the National Academy of Agriculture Sciences and a retired senior scientist from ICAR.

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee, India’s GM regulator, last week approved “environmental release” of genetically engineered mustard DMH-11 and its two parents for seed production under the ICAR supervision. The GM mustard was developed by scientists at Delhi university with funding support from National Dairy Development Board and Department of Biotechnology.

NAAS president and former ICAR director general Trilochan Mohapatra said with the environment release of DMH-11, the technology could be tested again at multiple sites, demonstrated in the fields and for developing newer hybrid varieties. "All three activities will be done simultaneously. ICAR can easily start the field demonstration from this Rabi season," he said.

Between 2010-2015 ICAR had carried out trials for the GM mustard at eight locations, on the basis of which the GEAC in 2017 had recommended “environmental release” of the GM mustard. However, the GEAC recommendation was not approved by then environment minister Harsh Vardhan.

This time the Union Environment Ministry, armed with the GEAC recommendation, issued a permit to Deepak Pental, the DU scientist who led the crop development research, on undertaking seed production for DMH-11 and regulating the parental lines. The permit is valid for four years and there would be monitoring by the ICAR and GEAC.

On the environmental activists’ concerns about the possible adverse impact of GM mustard on the honeybee population, Mohapatra said no such effects were observed in Canada where genetically tweaked rapeseed with the same set of genes is in production since 1996. Similar hybrids have been cultivated in the USA since 2002 and in Australia since 2003.

India has a deficit of edible oils by 55-60 per cent of total consumption. About 13.35 million tonnes of edible oil was imported in 2020-21.