GM Mustard Crop (DMH-11)
Context: The health risks of high erucic acid in mustard oil call for policy actions like regulated blending and adoption of GM mustard (DMH-11) to ensure consumer safety and reduce edible oil imports.
Important Pointers:
Developing Institution: DMH-11 has been developed by the Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants at Delhi University.
Significance: It is poised to become India’s first GM food crop for commercial cultivation.
Current Status: GM mustard (DMH-11) has not yet been released for commercial cultivation.
Parental Lines: It is a hybrid of the Indian mustard variety 'Varuna' and East European 'Early Heera-2'.
Breeding Challenge: Conventional breeding is difficult as mustard is naturally self-pollinating.
Genetic Mechanism: Barnase and barstar genes from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens are used to enable cross-pollination.