Gene-Edited Rice by NIPGR
Why in news:
Scientists at the National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), Delhi, have developed CRISPR-Cas9 gene-edited japonica rice that demonstrates significantly higher phosphate uptake and improved yield, potentially revolutionizing rice cultivation in phosphorus-deficient soils like those found across India.
Key Scientific Breakthroughs
Problem: Only 15–20% of applied phosphate fertilizers are absorbed by plants; the rest is lost via leaching and runoff.
Approach: Edited phosphate transporter gene (OsPHO1;2) to enhance root-to-shoot phosphate transfer, boosting plant growth and yield.
Initial Challenge: Knocking out the repressor gene (OsWRKY6) increased phosphate transport but disrupted other essential functions, harming plant performance.
Solution: Using CRISPR, researchers removed only the 30-base pair binding site of the repressor on the promoter gene. This retained other functions of the repressor while increasing transporter expression — akin to precision surgery.
Results in Gene-Edited Rice
40% yield increase with just 10% of recommended phosphate dose.
20% yield increase with normal phosphate application.
Higher seed and panicle numbers without compromising seed quality (size, starch, phosphate content remained normal).
Benefits for Indian Agriculture
The japonica cultivar Nipponbare was used, but similar editing in indica rice (commonly grown in India) could drastically reduce fertilizer dependency.
May help reduce phosphate fertilizer imports and support sustainable agriculture.
Off-Target and Foreign DNA Concerns Addressed
Off-target edits: Researchers used software tools and tested top 10 possible off-target sites — no unintended mutations were found.
Foreign DNA removal: Bacterial DNA from Streptococcus pyogenes and Agrobacterium tumefaciens is eliminated in second generation plants via Mendelian segregation.
Only precisely edited, foreign-DNA-free plants are taken to seed stage.
This NIPGR breakthrough using targeted CRISPR editing offers a promising path to higher-yielding, low-fertilizer rice, with minimal ecological footprint and potential scalability to Indian rice varieties. It represents a major step forward in gene editing for sustainable agriculture.