DMH-11

• The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), India's apex regulator of genetically modified plants & food products, has approved the environmental release of DMH-11.
• Trials conducted over three years by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) suggest that DMH-11 has 28% higher yields than its parent Varuna & was 37% better than zonal checks/local varieties that are considered the best in different agro-climatic zones.
• Activist groups allege that GM mustard hasn't been evaluated as a herbicide-tolerant crop posing potential risks.
• They also allege that GM mustard plants may dissuade bees from pollinating the plant & this could have knock-off environmental catastrophes.

• DMH-11 is a hybrid variant of mustard developed by researchers.
• It began with DMH-1, a hybrid variant that was developed without transgenic technology.
• DMH-1 was approved for commercial release in Northwest India in 2005-06, but this technology was not bankable enough to consistently produce hybrid mustard.
• India has several mustard varieties; it is a self-pollinating plant & is a challenge for plant-breeders to cross different mustard varieties & induce desirable traits.
• Being able to turn off this self-pollinating trait to enable such crossings & then restoring the trait, to enable seed production, is how the mustard plant's genes are to be manipulated.
• DMH-11 is a result of a cross between two varieties: Varuna & Early Heera-2.
• This cross was done after introducing genes from two soil bacterium called Barnase & Barnstar.
• Barnase in Varuna induces temporary sterility because of which it can't naturally self-pollinate.
• Barnstar in Heera blocks the effect of barnase allowing seeds to be produced.
• The result is DMH-11 that not only has a better yield but is also fertile.
• DMH-11 is a transgenic crop because it uses foreign genes from different species.
• 11 in DMH-11 refers to the number of generations after which desirable traits manifest.

• Trials conducted by ICAR for 3 years suggest that DMH-11 has 28% higher yields than its parent Varuna & was 37% better than zonal checks.
• These trials were conducted at 8 locations over three years.
• DMH-11 rather than being an end in itself signals the proof of the success of the barnase-barstar system that can act as a platform technology to develop newer hybrids.
• Having better hybrids is necessary to meet India's rising edible-oil import bill.
• Mustard is cultivated on 6-7million hectares during the Rabi winter season predominantly in Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh.
• India imports nearly 55-60% of its domestic edible-oil requirement.
• In 2020-21, around 13.3million tonnes of edible oil was imported at cost of ₹ 1,17,000 crore.
• This is primarily due to low productivity of about 1-1.3 tonnes/hectare that has been stagnant for over two decades.

• two main reasons made mustard for a debate.
• The use of genes that are foreign to the species is one & secondly the preparation of mustard hybrids requires the use of another gene called bar gene, which makes it tolerant to a herbicide called glufosinate-ammonium.
• Activist groups allege that the GM mustard wasn't evaluated as a herbicide-tolerant crop posing potential risks.
• GM mustard plants may dissuade bees from pollinating the plant & this could knock off environmental catastrophes.