“According to information available with ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), research related to genetic modification is currently being carried out in 72 crops/plant species,” Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. GM research is being carried in cotton, soyabean, rice, maize, wheat, sorghum, potato, brinjal, tomato, sugarcane, castor, blackgram, sunflower, jute, coffee, mustard, onion, ginger, tobacco, and chilli, among others, he added. “The traits being examined in these crop plants are abiotic and biotic stresses resistance, nutritional quality improvement, yield improvement etc,” the minister said.