Mycorrhizal Biotechnology

Mycorrhizal Biotechnology

Mycorrhiza is a term that describes the symbiotic relationship between certain fungi and plant roots, where both organisms benefit from each other. There are two main types of mycorrhizae: ectomycorrhiza and endomycorrhiza, which differ in how the fungus colonizes the root tissues.

Some of the uses and functions of mycorrhiza are:

• They help plants absorb more water and nutrients from the soil, especially phosphorus, nitrogen, and micronutrients.

• They improve soil structure and fertility by forming aggregates and increasing organic matter.

• They protect plants from diseases and pests by enhancing their immune system and producing antimicrobial compounds.

They increase plant diversity and productivity by facilitating plant establishment and growth.

• They reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides, which can have negative environmental impacts.

Some of the risks and threats of mycorrhiza are-

• They can become parasitic or pathogenic to the host plant under certain conditions, such as nutrient imbalance, drought stress, or competition.

• They can affect plant community dynamics and interactions by altering the competitive ability and resource allocation of different plant species.

• They can be affected by environmental factors such as temperature, moisture, pH, salinity, and pollution, which can reduce their diversity and function.

They can be lost or degraded by human activities such as land use change, deforestation, agriculture, and urbanization, which can reduce their availability and quality.

Dhara Mustard Hybrid 11 or DMH11

It is a genetically modified mustard. DMH stands for Dhara

+ Mustard + Hybrid + 11. In mustard, the male and female reproductive parts are on the same plant. The plant, thus, self- fertilises. Because both male and female reproductive parts are on the same plant, traditional hybridisation (crossing a male plant with a female one to get the characters of both) is not possible in the case of mustard plant. To allow for hybridisation in mustard plants, Genetic Modification was used.

In the mustard plant, we put a Barnese gene which affected the production of pollen grains in the plant rendering the male part infertile. Because the male part is infertile, we can now get the pollen grains from some other mustard plant and hybridise it. Indian mustard (Varuna) was desired to be bred with European mustard (Heera 2) to increase the yield. So, we introduced the Barnese gene in the Varuna rendering it infertile. Then, we used the pollen from the European mustard (Heera 2) to fertilise Varuna. This was successful and an increase in the yield of mustard was observed. This was called as Dhara Mustard Hybrid or DMH.

However, we were faced with another problem: Since the Varuna had been rendered infertile by the introduction of the Barnese gene, it could no longer self-pollinate and fertilise. While the first generation (Gen-1) was produced from the pollen of Heera 2, we now, also wanted the continued self- pollination of Varuna by itself. To do this, we introduced another gene called as Barstar, which nullified the effects of the Barnese gene after the first generation of the DMH had been formed. This reincarnated the self-pollinating feature of the mustard plant and allowed for the propagation of the DMH.

Other facts related to DMH 11

• It is herbicide tolerant mustard

• It was developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation

of Crop Plants of Delhi University

•
The 11 in DMH 11 signifies the number of generations

the hybrid takes to be beneficial.

• It was created by using “Barnese/Barstar” technology for genetic modification by adding genes from soil bacterium that makes mustard self-pollinating plant.

• It also allows for cross pollination and hybridisation.

• DMH -11 contains three genes viz. Bar gene, Barnese and

Barstar sourced from soil bacterium.

The bar gene had made plant resistant to herbicide named Basta. But the research regarding this third Bar gene is inconclusive and thus, we have not discussed much about it.

GM Crops Challenges

• Biosafety: elimination of wild species and pollution of gene pool. Bt cotton and Bt Mustard varieties may lead to wipe out of other wild and natural species of these plants which may be harmful for the environment.

• Safety with respect to human consumption: The reason GM Mustard is so controversial and Bt Cotton is not is because Cotton is a textile and we do not consume cotton. But mustard and its products are edible. And we have no way of knowing for sure what kind of long-term side effects a foreign gene (Barnese/Barstar) might have on humans.

• Legal disputes with respect to trait fees: A company called Monsanto developed Bt cotton technology called as Bollgard Technologies. Thus, Monsanto has Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) over this Bt Cotton technology and every time we want to use it, we might have to pay the company. Now seed production companies have to pay royalty to Monsanto. This leads to dependence on a foreign company and might lead to increase import burden of India, harming its strategic autonomy.

• Terminator gene technology: The MNCs which produce these technologies also produce what is known as terminator genes which render the seeds of the GM Crop infertile. Thus, a farmer who uses the technology once will have to be dependent on the foreign company for future generations of the high yield product. These companies does this for profit maximisation.

• Genetic Divide: The farmers that have access to GM technology vs the farmers who do not have the access to such products will have a huge gap in their yields. This will contribute to increasing the inequality among the small and big farmers in India.

The Economic Survey 2017 had various suggestions regarding the GM Crops and their regulation. These are:

• Allow GM Seeds- ES argued for allowing GM crops and seeds but only those, which were low cost and without the terminator gene technology. It specified the allowing of those seeds which:

• Disease and pest control features

• Long shelf life

• Short crop duration

• Non-food format

Encourage domestic production of GM Crops to end the monopoly of the Foreign MNCs which disproportionately control and manipulate the GM markets.

Legal Position of Genetically Modified Crops in India

The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is India's supreme body that approves the commercial distribution of genetically modified crops.

In 2002, the GEAC permitted the commercial distribution of Bt cotton.

Under the Environmental Protection Act of 1989, using an unapproved GM variety might result in a five-year jail sentence and a fine of Rs. One lakh.

Traits in GM Crops

Certain genetically modified crops can produce proteins that are poisonous to specific insect pests, providing pest resistance. For example, Bt cotton produces a protein derived from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis that

kills particular insects.

• Herbicide Tolerance: GM crops can survive some herbicides, leading to more effective weed control and decreasing the need for potentially toxic herbicides.

• Genetic modification can provide resistance to plant diseases, minimizing crop loss.

• Improved Nutritional Value: GM crops, such as "Golden Rice," contain higher quantities of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A.

Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC)

• The Committee is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment & Forests that approves large- scale use of hazardous living microorganisms and recombinants in research and industrial production

based on environmental considerations, in accordance

with 1989 rules.

• The Committee will approve proposals for releasing genetically altered organisms and goods into the environment, including experimental field trials, in accordance with the Rules, 1989.

• The Committee is in charge of approving proposals involving the use of living-modified organisms in the manufacture/import of recombinant Pharma products, or where the end product of the recombinant Pharma products itself is a living modified organism.

The Committee may co-opt additional members/ experts to the GEAC as needed under the requirements of Section 4, paragraph 3 of the Rules, 1989

The Committee may also select subgroups/ subcommittees/expert committees to carry out particular biosafety compliance operations.

The meeting will be held with a quorum of one-third of the GEAC members present.

Members of the GEAC will be required to sign a 'Statement of Declaration of Independence' and a 'Statement of Confidentiality'

The Committee will work for three years from the date of this notification.

Representatives from other Ministries and other specialists may be invited as 'Special Invitees' to participate in the GEAC meeting with the agreement of the Chairman, depending on the problems to be discussed.