Agro-Biotech News

India has approved its first genome-edited rice varieties, signaling a shift toward more sustainable, high-performing crops developed without foreign DNA. Unlike genetically modified organisms (GMOs), these new rice lines, created using the CRISPR-Cas9 system, rely on precise gene editing to enhance resilience and productivity. India's agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the two varieties — Pusa rice DST1 and DRR Dhan 100 — developed by researchers at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR), both under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).