Union Minister Inaugurates Genome-Editing Lab in Haryana to Boost Crop Research
| Event/Highlight | Details |
|---|---|
| Inauguration of Genome-Editing Lab | Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare inaugurated the laboratory at ICAR-IIWBR, Haryana. Funded under an ICAR scheme. |
| Objective of the Lab | Leverage modern genomic tools to enhance desirable traits for improved crop adaptation and enriched grain quality. |
| Climate-Resilient Wheat Varieties | Farmers appreciated varieties like Karan Vandana (DBW-187), MACS 6478, and Pusa Yashasvi for tolerating temperature fluctuations in February and March. Reduced input costs due to disease-resistant varieties eliminating fungicide sprays. |
| Hull-Less Barley Varieties | Farmers showed interest in DWRB 223, a recently released hull-less barley variety with high yield (42.9 quintals/ha) and 11.7% protein, ideal for health food applications. |
| Lab-to-Land Approach | Emphasis on connecting scientific research with grassroots farming to ensure real-world impact and adoption of agricultural innovations. |
| Genome Editing | A group of technologies that allow scientists to change an organism's DNA by adding, removing, or altering genetic material at specific locations. |
| CRISPR Technology | Clustered Regularly Interspaced Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-associated proteins system allows targeted genome sequence intervention, enabling the insertion of specific traits in plants. |
| Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research | Established in 2014, located in Karnal, Haryana. Premier institute affiliated with ICAR, focusing on enhancing wheat and barley productivity through scientific innovation. |
| Core Functions of IIWBR | Varietal improvement, resource management, and crop protection strategies. Coordinates the All India Coordinated Research Project on Wheat and Barley (AICRP). |