By: Dr. Ripudaman Singh (Special Correspondent ICN Group) & Hemant Kumar ( Agriculture Correspondent ICN Group)
NEW DELHI: A new variety of the widely cultivated sambhaMahsuri has been developed by a consortium of Indian Canadian and Chinese scientists.
The ‘transgenic variety’, which has a gene from a weedy plant suitably manipulated,has demonstrated positive traits such as growing taller and bigger using water efficiently, says P B kirti, one of the lead researchers from the University of Hyderabad (UoH).
The scientists used techniques of gene manipulation on the gene AtTOR(Target of Rapaycin), which has been taken from the weedy plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a common flowering plant, and injected it into the sambhaMahsuri variety.
The protein coded by this gene has the properties to give the transgenic variety the range of features described along with more efficient photosynthesis. The water saved can be used to irrigate other crops.
Further, the gene might show robust and external appearance in other crops, which can provide economic benefits to farmers.
However, the results obtained are under experimental conditions at this stage. They need to be confirmed under normal field condition of cultivation.
