Import and Commercialization of Transgenic Crops: An Indian Perspective

Abstract: With the dramatic increase in the commercial cultivation of transgenic crops, concerns regarding their potential impacts on environment and human health are required to be addressed in a proper perspective. India has already reached a stage in the commercialization of transgenic crops that makes a strong collaboration between public and private sectors imperative to adequately address the biosafety issues. The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) is a nodal organization under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for import and quarantine processing of transgenic planting material. Till date, 79 consignments of transgenic planting material comprising twelve crops with an array of transgenes have been imported from different countries through NBPGR for various public and private research institutions engaged in transgenic research. This review article analyses and introspects the pattern of import in a range of crops for different traits over the last decade and attempts to understand the gap between the pace at which the transgenic crops are being imported by private and public sectors and their actual commercialization. Harnessing the optimum benefits of transgenic crops while sustaining our valuable biodiversity, hinges on systematic development, import and commercialization of transgenic crops alongwith strong public and private sector collaboration involving all stakeholders including the farmers and consumers

Detection of transgenes in genetically modified soybean and maize using polymerase chain reaction

510-513Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been successfully employed to detect transgenes in genetically modified (GM) soybean and maize. Three pairs of primers for CaMV 35S, NOS and EPSPS genes were used in the detection. The results reveal that PCR could differentiate the GM plants from non-GM plants. Evidently, PCR is a highly reproducible and sensitive technique that can be successfully employed in detecting transgenes for screening GM soybeans and GM maize from their conventional plants

Assessment of transgene flow in eggplant germplasm conserved at National Genebank

357-363Increased cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops concerns curators for unintentional introgression of transgenes with germplasm conserved in genebanks. Availability of transgenic counterparts in certain crop species necessitates screening of germplasm for adventitious presence of transgenes towards proper conservation under short- or long-term. Primers for CaMV 35S promoter region, NptII gene, and β-fructofuranosidase (endogenous reference gene) were designed using MPprimer1.4 software. Uniplex- or multiplex-PCR protocol had produced amplicons of 156, 557 and 287 bp length, respectively for CaMV 35S promoter, NptII gene and β-fructofuranosidase primers. Presence of 287 bp fragment for endogenous reference gene and absence of other two fragments for specific transgene elements in conserved germplasm indicated the absence of transgenes in germplasm being conserved in National Genebank. Presence of β-fructofuranosidase gene in most of the crop plants justifies its use for screening germplasm across species against transgene flow. It would be very much useful in screening germplasm towards conservation for which transgenic counterparts with CaMV 35S promoter and NptII gene are available at present. Multiplex-PCR protocol was validated for the risk of transgene flow using eggplant germplasms, which are being conserved since 2008 at our National Genebank. Implementing validated screening protocol for transgene detection as one of the major preparatory measures before conserving germplasm in genebanks will help curators in checking unintentional transgene flow

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Not AvailableIn a pilot study, as a prelude for characterization of the entire Trigonella germplasm conserved in the National Gene Bank, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, genetic relatedness among a selection of 49 accessions of fenugreek (Trigonella-foenum-graecum L.) was assessed using 19 morphometric and 186 inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. An accession of T. corniculata L. was also assessed as an out-group. The accessions were collected from different eco-geographical sites located in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Manipur and Bihar; and one of the accessions was imported from Eritrea. Data for 12 qualitative and seven quantitative morphometric descriptors were recorded. Significant differences within the accessions were found for all the quantitative descriptors except primary branches and seeds/pod. Shannon-Wiener Diversity Index revealed substantial diversity for all the quantitative descriptors. The morphometric data differentiated the fenugreek accessions into two clusters (at similar to 65% similarity). A total of 100 ISSR primers were used for initial screening, out of which only 21 primers were found polymorphic. ISSR analysis was performed with selected 21 primers to generate 186 amplicons, of which 92.4% were polymorphic. Cluster analysis put 47 accessions in a single group at similar to 65% similarity. Though there was no agreement between the groupings based on morphometric and ISSR markers (Mantel statistic 0.096), specific cases of geographic groupings were supported by both the markers. Phylogenetic positioning of the accessions with no passport information was found to be possible. The ISSR markers complemented the morphometric data in understanding the genetic divergence among the fenugreek accessions.NBPGR, New Delh

Multitarget Real-Time PCR-Based System: Monitoring for Unauthorized Genetically Modified Events in India

A multitarget TaqMan real-time PCR (RTi-PCR) based system was developed to monitor unauthorized genetically modified (GM) events in India. Most of the GM events included in this study are either authorized for commercial cultivation or field trials, which were indigenously developed or imported for research purposes. The developed system consists of a 96-well prespotted plate with lyophilized primers and probes, for simultaneous detection of 47 targets in duplicate, including 21 event-specific sequences, 5 construct regions, 15 for transgenic elements, and 6 taxon-specific targets for cotton, eggplant, maize, potato, rice, and soybean. Limit of detection (LOD) of assays ranged from 0.1 to 0.01% GM content for different targets. Applicability, robustness, and practical utility of the developed system were verified with stacked GM cotton event, powdered samples of proficiency testing and two unknown test samples. This user-friendly multitarget approach can be efficiently utilized for monitoring the unauthorized GM events in an Indian context