Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants, Volume 2: Achievements and Impacts

432 Pages·2014·7.22 MB·English

by  Aditya Pratap

Aditya Pratap · Jitendra Kumar Editors
Alien Gene
Transfer in Crop
Plants,
Volume 2
Achievements and Impacts
Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants, Volume 2

Aditya Pratap (cid:129) Jitendra Kumar
Editors
Alien Gene Transfer
in Crop Plants, Volume 2
Achievements and Impacts
Editors
Aditya Pratap Jitendra Kumar
Senior Scientist (Plant Breeding) Senior Scientist (Plant Breeding)
Crop Improvement Division Crop Improvement Division
Indian Institute of Pulses Research Indian Institute of Pulses Research
Kalyanpur-Kanpur , India Kalyanpur-Kanpur , India
ISBN 978-1-4614-9571-0 ISBN 978-1-4614-9572-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-9572-7
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013957869
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Foreword

The book “Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants: Achievements and Impacts” is a
meticulously compiled volume by Aditya Pratap and Jitendra Kumar, the two young
agricultural scientists, who deserve appreciation for their efforts. This volume offers
an extensive reference on the developments made through conventional as well as
modern alien gene transfer practices in major agricultural crops of the world includ-
ing cereals, pulses, oil crops, sugarcane, and vegetables. The chapters in this book
have been contributed by well-known scientists who are recognized globally for
their scientifi c contributions. I hope that the information contained in this book will
be useful to researchers, teachers, and students in providing an insight into the sub-
ject and will further encourage them to go deeper into this fi eld to solve the prob-
lems of food and nutritional security.
2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the elucidation of the double-helix structure
of the DNA molecule, the chemical substance of heredity, 60 years ago by James
Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin. This fi nding has
opened up uncommon opportunities for the advancement of science as related to all
aspects of life. During recent decades, many Nobel Prizes in Physiology and
Medicine have gone to Molecular Geneticists. At the same time, public concern
about the proper measurement of risks and benefi ts has grown, particularly in the
v
vi Foreword
fi elds of agricultural and food biotechnology. Biotechnology provides an opportunity
to convert bioresources into economic wealth. This has to be done in a manner that
there is no adverse impact either on the environment or on human and animal health.
The bottom line of our national agricultural biotechnology policy should be the
economic well-being of farm families, food security of the nation, health security of
the consumer, protection of the environment, and security of our national and inter-
national trade in farm commodities. In view of the importance of alien gene transfer
in facing the problems of the future such as expanding biotic and abiotic stresses
and climate change, I will like to refer to some of the broader implications of recom-
binant DNA technology.
Medical biotechnology—extending the length and quality of life: Medical bio-
technology is helping to extend human longevity as well as quality of life. Gene
therapy offers promise in curing diseases like leukemia and promises to open the
door to the cure of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Research in the area
of medical biotechnology needs to be strengthened, particularly with reference to
diseases like malaria and tuberculosis. Human and animal health are closely inter-
related. India has emerged as a global hotspot of zoonotic diseases due to the close
proximity of farm animals and people. More interdisciplinary studies are needed on
the economic and nutritional implications of zoonosis.
Environmental biotechnology—bioremediation: Pollution problems are becom-
ing serious in the case of both river and groundwater. In India, the arsenic content of
groundwater is increasing at several places, particularly in West Bengal. Tamil
Nadu’s two major industries, namely, leather and textile, cause water pollution.
Hence, there is need for a considerable step up in bioremediation research. A coor-
dinated project, organized on a mission mode, is necessary to harness the tools of
biotechnology for water purifi cation and for providing safe drinking water.
Agricultural and food biotechnology: Unlike in the case of medical and environ-
mental biotechnology, there are concerns about the risks and benefi ts in the area of
crop biotechnology. While molecular marker-assisted breeding is considered safe,
the potential adverse impact of genetic modifi cation in crops, involving recombi-
nant DNA technology, is an area of wide divergence of opinion not only among the
public but also among professionals. The precautionary principle is widely advo-
cated in assessing the risks and benefi ts and to ensure risk avoidance. A well-
designed n eed assessment procedure should be introduced to facilitate decisions
relating to the choice of problems for genetic modifi cation research as well as for
prioritization in the investment of public funds. While assessing needs and fi xing
priorities, the rich diversity of agro-ecosystems and socioeconomic conditions
should be kept in view. There is also need for a considerable strengthening of public
good research so as to ensure social inclusion in access to desirable technologies.
The Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, on the basis of wide-
spread consultations has developed a draft bill for the establishment of a Biotechnology
Regulatory Authority. This bill was introduced in the L ok Sabha on 22nd April 2013
by the Union Minister for Science and Technology. Earlier, the Parliamentary
Committee on Agriculture chaired by Shri Basudeb Acharya had recommended “to
Foreword vii
assess risks and benefi ts from GMOs with reference to biodiversity, human and
animal health and environment, a National Biosafety Authority is needed.”
S ince the Draft Act has already been introduced in the Parliament (of India),
I presume that it will be examined by an appropriate committee of both Houses of
Parliament. During this process, the various suggestions made by the Basudeb
Acharya Committee as well as Civil Society Organizations could be examined care-
fully and a suitable title for the bill could be chosen. Also, it is clear that the
Parliament-approved Bill should help to ensure that the risks and benefi ts associated
with GMOs are assessed in a scientifi cally credible and transparent manner. The
regulations must be based on the best available science and also wherever necessary
on the precautionary principle, using the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as the
guiding internationally approved protocol.
Biosafety and bioethics—capacity building and information empowerment:
Capacity building efforts should start with the G ram Panchayats and extend to
school and college students and all those who will be involved in biotechnological
enterprises. There is need for greater genetic literacy among farmers as well as the
general public. The ongoing programs for public and political information should
be strengthened. For this purpose, a Committee on Public Understanding of Science
could be set up under the Government of India Media Resource Centres in local
languages for the purpose of providing authentic scientifi c information relating to
molecular genetics and biosafety. Advanced training programs in biosafety and bio-
ethics should be organized in appropriate universities/institutions.
H arnessing the power of partnership: The new genetics offers immense opportu-
nities for collaboration among scientists belonging to different disciplines and
working in different institutions. International collaborations as well as public–
private partnership should be fostered wherever this will help to achieve the desired
applied goals surely, speedily, and economically. All such partnerships should be
based on a well-defi ned ethical code which takes into account issues like confl ict of
interest and IPR. Public good research should be promoted actively by public-
funded institutions and universities, so that the new technologies reach the
unreached. Farmer participatory research should be promoted, based on respect for
community rights.
Every farm a nutri-farm—role of biofortifi cation: Considering the widespread
prevalence of both undernutrition and hidden hunger caused by the defi ciency of
micronutrients like iron, iodine, zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin B12 in the diet, it
would be useful to promote the integration of nutritional criteria in the farming
systems currently adopted by farm families. Biofortifi cation, both naturally occur-
ring and achieved through breeding, offers scope for providing agricultural reme-
dies to the nutritional maladies prevailing in the area. The initiative of the
Government of India in promoting nutri-farms and for including a wide range of
local grains (nutri-cereals) under the Public Distribution System (PDS) in the
National Food Security Bill are welcome steps.
I congratulate the authors as well as Dr. N. Nadarajan, Director of Indian Institute
of Pulses Research, for this very valuable contribution. Now that food has become
viii Foreword
a basic human right (in India) through the National Food Security Act 2013, there is
no time to relax on the food production front. We must utilize both classical
and contemporary technologies in improving the productivity, profi tability, and sus-
tainability of small holders. I therefore hope that this book will be widely read by
scholars and scientists as well as policy makers.
Chennai , TN , India M. S. Swaminathan
Pref ace
A lien gene transfer in crop plants has emerged as a boon to humanity as well as
science. Since the beginning of plant breeding as a systematic endeavour, scientists
have spent a major proportion of their energy, time and resources in planning and
executing sexual hybridizations with an objective to create additional genetic vari-
ability hitherto not available in nature, followed by selections of desirable recombi-
nants to develop improved genotypes which would be even more benefi cial to
mankind. After the rediscovery of Mendelism and subsequently our improved
understanding of plant traits, their genetic control and inheritance, interest started
growing towards transferring genes conferring traits of interest from distant and
wild relatives, and even from across genome boundaries.
Wild crop genetic resources are rich reservoirs of useful alien genes. These have
contributed tremendously in unleashing the basic and fundamental questions of life
including those on origin, history and evolution of crop plants, their phylogenetic
relationships and inheritance of simple as well as complex traits. Some of them have
even served as excellent model plant species, helping to resolve several mysteries
associated with crop fl ora as well as elucidation and interpretation of several plant
species genomes. They also provided numerous donors for genetic improvement of
the cultivated types providing sources for disease and insect-pest resistance, resis-
tance/tolerance to climate extremities and problem soils, improved quality traits and
keeping quality, and biofortifi cation. During the progression of alien gene transfer
technologies, several novel concepts and theories, for example, doubled haploid
breeding, were also promoted. Encouraged by the success of alien transfers in
genetic amelioration of crop plants, the researchers started looking for alien genes
even across genome boundaries and devised horizontal gene transfer strategies,
genetic transformation becoming one of the most powerful tools in changing our
lives and way of living. The impact of genetic transformation can be realized from
the fact that the development, application, and socio-economic and political impli-
cations of transgenic crops now affect the agrarian policies and economies of sev-
eral countries despite the fact that a large group of environmentalists, scientists and
consumers is highly sceptic about their use and after effects. Nevertheless, even
ix