Why in the news?

• The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) recently announced guidelines relaxing norms for genetically modified (GM) agricultural research and avoiding problems of employing foreign genes to change crop characteristics.
• Previously, the Government permitted genome-edited plants at the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee without the burdensome GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) legislation (GEAC).

What are the Guidelines’ Key Points?

Exempts Researchers from the Need for Approval:

• It exempts plant genome researchers who employ gene editing technologies from requesting approval from the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC).
• The GEAC assesses GM plant research and recommends or opposes its release into farmer fields.
• The Environment Minister, as well as the states where such plants could be grown, make the ultimate decision. This exemption has also been approved by the Environment Ministry.
• The guidelines provide a road map for the sustainable use of genome editing technologies and are relevant to public and private sector research institutions participating in genome editing plant research and development.
• Guidelines for Issues BT-cotton, which uses a soil bacteria gene to protect against pest attack, is an example of a GM plant that has garnered such scrutiny.
• The concern with this strategy is that these genes may spread to neighbouring plants, which is not intended, and hence their use has been controversial.

What exactly is genome editing?

About:

• Genome editing allows for the change of plant-owned genes without the addition of foreign genes, as with GM crops.
• Genome-edited variants contain no foreign DNA and are indistinguishable from crops created through traditional plant breeding or through naturally occurring mutations.

Methods for Genome Editing:

• Several methods for genome editing have been developed. CRISPR-Cas9 is a well-known example.
• Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats and CRISPR-associated protein 9 are abbreviated as CRISPR-Cas9.
• This instrument has opened up new avenues for plant breeding. Agricultural scientists can now use this technique to modify the genome to put specific features into the gene sequence.
• The procedure is separated into three categories based on the type of the edit – SDN 1, SDN 2, and SDN 3.
• SDN 1 induces modifications in the host genome’s DNA by tiny insertions/deletions without the introduction of foreign genetic material.
• SDN 2 edits include the use of a tiny DNA template to make particular alterations. Both of these approaches use no alien genetic material and produce crop varieties that are indistinguishable from conventionally bred crop kinds.
• The SDN3 process involves bigger DNA elements or full-length genes of foreign origin, which is akin to the formation of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Global Developments:

• Genome editing is employed in most crop plants for which a partial or complete genome sequence is available, and it is used in around 40 crops across 25 countries.
• The United States and China are pioneers in using this technique to generate crop types such as rice, maize, soybean, canola, and tomato that can tolerate biotic and abiotic challenges caused by climate change.

What Is the Distinction Between Gene Editing and Genetic Modification?

• Scientists often take the desirable gene from one organism and randomly inject it into another in order to make genetically engineered crops and animals.
• Bt corn and cotton are two well-known genetically modified crops in which a bacterial gene was introduced that produces insecticidal toxins into the section of the plant where the insect consumes, killing the insect.
• Gene editing is a modest, regulated change to a living organism’s existing DNA rather than the introduction of a new, foreign gene.
• Because the changes are indistinguishable from naturally occurring mutations, it is practically impossible to tell whether an organism’s DNA has been edited or not.

What is the Importance of Genome Technique?

Increase Disease Resistance:

The technology holds enormous potential, but more work needs to be done to make oilseed and pulse crop varieties resistant to diseases, insects, and pests, as well as drought, salinity, and heat stress.

Faster Crop Varieties Development:

Traditional breeding techniques take 8 to 10 years to generate agricultural crop varieties, whereas genome editing can be done in two to three years.

What are the Problems with Genome Editing?

• GM crops have been a source of contention around the world, with many environmentalists rejecting them on the basis of bio safety and insufficient data. The adoption of GM crops in India is a time-consuming process involving numerous levels of scrutiny.
• Bt cotton is the only crop that has yet to clear regulatory hurdles.
• Scientists in India and throughout the world have been keen to distinguish between GM and genome-edited crops. They have pointed out that the latter contain no foreign genetic material, making them indistinguishable from typical hybrids.
• Globally, European Union member countries have classified genome-edited crops as GM crops. Argentina, Israel, the United States, Canada, and other countries have lax policies for genome-edited crops.
• Gene editing techniques, which entail changing the function of genes, can have “huge and unanticipated implications” that affect plant “toxicity and allergenicity.”

The Way Forward

• In light of such new advancements in Genome Technology, the regulatory regime must be strengthened as well as rationalised, for the benefit of both domestic and export customers.
• Technology approvals must be simplified, and scientifically sound decisions must be executed.
• To prevent the spread of unlawful GM crops, strict monitoring is required to guarantee that safety measures are strictly followed, and enforcement must be handled seriously.