Icrisat plans open field trials of transgenic groundnut in 2005

Judicious application of biotechnological tools holds great potential in alleviating some of the major constraints to the productivity of crops.

Research advances in genetic enhancement, therefore, help in warding off crop diseases. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) is working on transgenic groundnut that will be resistant to peanut clump virus.

In an interview with Business Standard, Kiran K Sharma, principal scientist (genetic transformation lab) of Icrisat, speaks about the developments in the transgenic groundnut that is currently being tested under contained field trials within the institute. Excerpts.

What is the current status of the transgenic groundnut?

The current most advanced transgenic groundnut is transformed with the coat protein and replicase genes of the Indian peanut clump virus, inserted independently.

Hence, the plants carry either the coat protein gene or the replicase gene for testing the efficacy of individual gene against the virus. This material is currently in T6 generation and we have completed three contained field trials during 2002, 2003, and 2004.

We are hoping that during 2005, we will be able to carry out an open field evaluation of this material in collaboration with scientists from Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Rajasthan, where the disease is most prevalent.

When do you expect it to be sent for large-scale field trials and when is it most likely to be commercially launched?

The material will go through two or three open field trials in hot-spot locations where the disease is more common. During this period we will be looking at the biosafety and food safety of this material.

Hence, we estimate that if all goes well, then the selected transgenic events can be used for commercialisation in four to five years time.

What is the nature of the transgenic groundnut it terms of the size of the pod of transgenic groundnut, will it be different from the normal groundnut pod?

The transgenic groundnuts look morphologically similar to the original variety (JL 24) that was used for transformation.

The transgenic groundnut is very similar to its non-transgenic counterpart except that there is an additional gene that imparts resistance to a single constraint, ie, peanut clump virus.

Future studies on food safety will provide information on their nutritional equivalence to the non-transgenic groundnuts.

What is the gene that has been introduced into the transgenic groundnut?

Two genes were used separately in independent events. One gene is coat protein gene from the peanut clump virus and the other replicase gene from the peanut clump virus. These genes were introduced into the groundnut by using Agrobacterium tumefaciens as the vector.

What is the resistance level of transgenic groundnut as compared to the diseases that are seen in the normal groundnut?

The transgenic groundnuts also get infected at a very early stage during seed germination (in fields which contain the fungus carrying the virus).

However, unlike the untransformed groundnuts, the transgenic groundnuts do not support virus multiplication and carry very little or no virus by the time of harvesting, and no effect of the disease on growth and development of plants.

What would be the price of the transgenic groundnut and how would it be marketed?

It is difficult to price these groundnuts but chances are that these will be marketed through public seed systems or informal seed sector and hence should not be different than the non-transgenic groundnuts.

The product is developed in public-funded laboratories and the national agricultural research system like ICAR. I don't see any reason for pricing that is different from the regularly available seed of groundnut.

Are there other institutes that are undertaking similar projects?

Similar projects on transgenic crops are ongoing in various laboratories across the country including the ICAR, University of Delhi South Campus, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University on various other crops. I am not aware of similar research on groundnut in India.

Is transgenic groundnut being tested in other geographic conditions?

Currently, our transgenic groundnut has been tested only at Icrisat's Patancheru Centre. We are hoping to take this and other transgenic groundnuts for resistance to another virus called the 'Groundnut Rosette Virus' to African locations to test their efficacy under those conditions.

What would be the crop arrival and the quantity that a farmer can expect per acre?

The final crop should be resistant to the disease, which has been known to cause damages in the range of 20 per cent to 70 per cent depending upon the location and severity of the disease. Hence, the expectation is that the transgenic groundnut should be able to recover the cost of losses in the range of 20 to 70 per cent.

Agronomically, and in the absence of the disease, the crop will behave as normal groundnut (like the variety of its background genetic make-up).