A novel upland rice variety, Birsa Vikas Dhan 111 (PY 84), has recently been released in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It was bred using marker-assisted backcrossing with selection for multiple quantitative trait loci (QTL) for improved root growth to improve its performance under drought conditions. It is an early maturing, drought tolerant and high yielding variety with good grain quality suitable for the direct seeded uplands and transplanted medium lands of Eastern India.

India’s apex court on Thursday directed the government to respond to the proposals for setting up of an independent laboratory for carrying out relevant health and bio-safety tests of genetically modified (GM) crops and formation of a committee to address the problems of regulation for ensuring safety of GM crops.

After ten long years of research punctuated with technical delays, the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) in Nagpur is ready with 20,000 packets of desi Bt cotton seeds for distribution to farmers starting next month. The Bikaneri Narma (BN Bt), as it is called, is a variety and not a hybrid which was the only option available to farmers till date. [...] The seeds will be available for Rs 200 per 2 kg bag as against Rs 750 per 450 gm bag of hybrids currently sold by national and multinational companies like Mahyco, Rasi, Ankur and Nuziveedu.

Monsanto recently launched Project SHARE (Sustainable Harvest - Agriculture, Resources, Environment) in India. The project is Monsanto’s fourth partnership under its commitment to sustainable yield—produce more, conserve more and improve farmers’ lives. Project SHARE is a four-year pilot project that aims to improve the socio-economic conditions of 10,000 small-marginal cotton and corn farmers—from 1,100 villages, across three states in India—Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan—to help them improve yield and income.

From North to South, the battle for saving our favourite vegetable brinjal from being poisoned with genetic modification is heating up. The day (April 2) a large number of protestors under the banner of Safe Food Alliance, and led by Mr Vellaiyan, a leader of the Tamil Nadu Traders Association, were arrested for staging a peaceful protest against the field trials for GM corn being held inside the premises of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University at Coimbatore, Swami Ramdev launched a nation-wide campaign to protect the country from the influx of dangerous GM crops/foods

Commercial launch of the country’s first transgenic food crop — Bt Brinjal — might take much longer than expected with the government still awaiting the required data for analysis. [...] Ranjini Warrier, member secretary of GEAC, said in New Delhi, ”It might take one more year to introduce the crop. A lot of data still needs to be collected because trials have, so far, been conducted in confined environment.”

Arcadia Biosciences, Inc, an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, and Advanta, a leading multinational seed company, today announced that the companies have reached a research and commercial development agreement for the development of Salt Tolerant sorghum. Under terms of the agreement, Advanta receives exclusive global rights to the use of Arcadia’s Salt Tolerance technology in sorghum. Arcadia receives an upfront payment, milestone payments and a share of commercial sales revenue. This agreement builds upon the agreement the two companies reached in January 2009 for the development of Nitrogen Use Efficient (NUE) sorghum.

Bt brinjal, the country’s first genetically modified (GM) edible product, is in the final stage of getting a clearance from the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), the biotechnology regulatory body of the Government of India. The Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company-(Mahyco-) developed Bt brinjal had run into trouble last year with the Union health ministry and consumer organisations raising questions about its safety with regard to health.

Heads of Farmers organisations in Tamil Nadu today demanded the immediate destruction of the ongoing field trial of Genetically Modified (GM) crops within the Tamil Nadu Agriculture University here. Leaders of various farmers organisations were here to participate in the conference, organised to discuss the looming threat of GM crops and possible loss of livelihood and health risks among the farmer community.

The All India Crop Biotechnology Association (AICBA), an industry association of the major companies engaged in agricultural bio-technology in the country, has admitted that the genetically modified (GM) crop is not a foolproof technology as yet. It is still at an evolving stage, according to the association. R K Sinha, Executive Director, AICBA, who was in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, said, ”The mealybug infestation on Bt Cotton in Gujarat clearly proves the same.”