Commercial Cultivation of HT Basmati Rice

The Indian government recently allowed the commercial cultivation of two non-transgenic varieties of herbicide-tolerant (HT) basmati rice: Pusa Basmati 1979 and Pusa Basmati 1985.

1. Developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), these varieties promote sustainable paddy cultivation practices that conserve water and reduce carbon emissions.
2. Transgenic: Refers to a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) or cell whose genome has been altered by the introduction of one or more foreign DNA sequences or genes from another species by artificial means.
3. GMO: An organism that contains a genetically modified genome. All transgenic organisms are GMOs.
4. Non-Transgenic: Does not involve inserting any foreign DNA.

Key Features of the New Varieties of Rice:

1. Mutated ALS Gene: These new varieties contain a mutated AcetoLactate Synthase (ALS) gene, allowing farmers to spray Imazethapyr (a herbicide) to control weeds.
2. Herbicide Tolerance: The mutated ALS gene prevents the ALS enzymes from having binding sites for Imazethapyr, ensuring that amino acid synthesis remains unaffected.
3. Amino Acid Synthesis: The ALS gene in rice encodes an enzyme responsible for synthesizing amino acids essential for the crop's growth and development.
4. Herbicide Impact: In normal rice plants, the herbicide binds to the ALS enzymes, inhibiting amino acid production.
5. Weed Control: Imazethapyr effectively targets a variety of broadleaf, grassy, and sedge weeds but cannot distinguish between the crop and invasive plants.
6. Non-GMO: Since no foreign genes are involved, herbicide tolerance is achieved through mutation breeding, making these plants non-Genetically Modified Organisms (non-GMOs).

Significance:

1. Benefits: These HT rice varieties offer several benefits such as eliminating the need for nursery preparation, puddling, transplanting, and field flooding, reducing methane emissions, a major greenhouse gas by supporting Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR).

Concerns Regarding the Use of HT Variety of Rice:

1. Super Weeds: Risk of developing "super weeds" that become resistant to herbicides through repeated use, making them harder to control.
2. Herbicide Residue: Worries about potential herbicide residue accumulation in food products, despite developers' assurances that the grain is residue-free.
3. International Trade: While India permits certain herbicides like imazethapyr, the European Union bans them, which could impact international trade and safety standards.
4. Long-Term Sustainability: Questions arise about the long-term sustainability of HT crops, as increased herbicide use over time might lead to ecological concerns.

Paddy Transplantation vs Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR)

Paddy Transplantation	DSR
The field where the seedlings are transplanted has to be “puddled” or tilled in standing water.	The pre-germinated seeds are directly drilled into the field by a tractor-powered machine.
For the first three weeks or so after transplanting, the plants are irrigated almost daily to maintain a water depth of 4-5 cm.	There is no nursery preparation or transplantation involved in this method.
Farmers continue giving water every 2-3 days even for the next four-five weeks when the crop is in tillering (stem development) stage.	Farmers have to only level their land and give one pre-sowing irrigation.
Paddy transplantation is both labour- and water-intensive.	It is water and labour efficient and reduces methane emissions due to a shorter flooding period and comparatively decreased soil disturbance.

Rice Cultivation in India:

1. Climatic Requirements: Rice is a kharif crop that requires high temperature (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.
2. Multiple Crops: In southern states and West Bengal, the climatic conditions allow the cultivation of two or three crops of rice in an agricultural year.
3. Crop Names: In West Bengal, farmers grow three crops of rice called ‘aus’, ‘aman’, and ‘boro’.
4. Cropped Area: About one-fourth of the total cropped area in India is under rice cultivation.
5. Leading Producer States: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab.
6. High Yielding States: Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, and Kerala.
7. Global Ranking: India is the second-largest producer of rice after China.
8. Export Significance: Basmati rice is India’s top agricultural-export produce. In 2022-23, India exported 4.56 million tonnes of basmati rice valued at USD 4.78 billion.
9. Distinctive Fragrance: Basmati's distinctive fragrance is attributed to 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2-AP), an organic compound produced during maturation that gives this rice grain its nutty and fragrant aroma.

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