Recently, ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) has developed the world's first genome-edited rice varieties. Which of the following statements is/are correct with respect to the developed products?
1. The genome-edited varieties – DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1 have been developed by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.
2. DRR Rice 100 (Kamla), based on Samba Mahsuri, has a shorter duration of maturity.
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Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

This question asks about the recently developed genome-edited rice varieties by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research). We need to evaluate the accuracy of two statements regarding these varieties.

Analyzing Statement 1: Development Institutes

Statement 1 claims that the genome-edited varieties – DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1 – were both developed by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi.

DRR Rice 100 (Kamla): This variety was developed by the ICAR-Directorate of Rice Research (ICAR-DRR) located in Hyderabad. Its development focused on introducing pest resistance through genome editing.
Pusa DST Rice 1: This variety was indeed developed by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-IARI) in New Delhi.

Since DRR Rice 100 was developed by ICAR-DRR and not ICAR-IARI, the statement that *both* varieties were developed by ICAR-IARI is incorrect. Therefore, Statement 1 is false.

Analyzing Statement 2: Maturity Duration of DRR Rice 100

Statement 2 states that DRR Rice 100 (Kamla), which is based on Samba Mahsuri, has a shorter duration of maturity.

DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) is recognized as an improved variety derived from the Samba Mahsuri genetic background.
The primary purpose highlighted for the genome editing in DRR Rice 100 was to confer resistance against major rice pests like the yellow stem borer and leaf folder.
While improved crop varieties often aim for optimized agronomic traits, including maturity duration, the significant outcome emphasized for DRR Rice 100 through genome editing is pest resistance. There is no widely reported information suggesting that a significantly shorter maturity duration is the key trait engineered or the main distinguishing feature of this genome-edited variety compared to existing Samba Mahsuri types.

Given that the main focus of genome editing for DRR Rice 100 was pest resistance, and a shorter maturity duration is not its primary or explicitly highlighted engineered trait, Statement 2 cannot be confirmed as accurate in the context of the genome-edited product's key features. Therefore, Statement 2 is considered incorrect.

Conclusion

Based on the analysis:

Statement 1 is incorrect because DRR Rice 100 was developed by ICAR-DRR, not ICAR-IARI.
Statement 2 is incorrect as the primary genome-edited trait for DRR Rice 100 is pest resistance, not necessarily a shorter maturity duration.

Since both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are incorrect, the correct option is the one indicating that neither statement is correct.