Biotech Updates

India Releases Two Genome-Edited Rice Varieties

May 7, 2025

Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan (center) during the launch of the genome-edited rice varieties. Dr. Devendra Kumar Yadava, ICAR Deputy Director General, Dr. R.M. Sundaram, Director, ICAR-Indian Rice Research Institute, Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh, Former Director, ICAR, and Dr. C.H. Srinivas Rao, Director, ICAR-IARI, also addressed the event. (Photo Source: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare)

India's first genome-edited rice varieties, DRR Rice 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1, developed using genome editing technology based on CRISPR-Cas, were launched by Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan at Bharat Ratna C. Subramaniam Auditorium, NASC Complex, New Delhi on May 4, 2025. With this release, India has become the first country in the world to develop genome-edited rice varieties.

The new genome-edited rice varieties were developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). They hold the potential for revolutionary changes in higher production, climate adaptability, and water conservation. "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has achieved a historic milestone in scientific research," said Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan during the launch of the genome-edited rice varieties.

The DRR Rice 100 (Kamala) variety, derived from Samba Mahsuri, was developed by ICAR-IIRR. It has improved tolerance to drought, salinity, and climate stresses, has a 19% increase in yield, a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and a saving of 7,500 million cubic meters of irrigation water. Pusa DST Rice 1, developed by ICAR-IARI, can increase yields by 9.66% to 30.4% in saline and alkaline soils, with the potential for up to a 20% increase in production.

For more details, read the news article on the ICAR website.