Sustainable Food Security
(Biotechnological Interventions)
Prof. Swapan Datta
Deputy Director General (DDG-CS)
Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)
Challenges
• Adequate Food production
• Procurement, Storage capacity, food supply-chain system,
• Infra- structure, transport, water,
• Fertilizer, farm mechanization and marketing
• Cost –benefit , Remunerative Agriculture
• Science & Technology with management may
revolutionize Indian Agri/FS
“ Development of improved technology alone cannot
help farmers grow food unless the diffusion of
technology is facilitated by the public policy” MS
Swaminathan (Science, Ethics and Food, 1988)
We need to spend enough money on R&D for
tomorrow’s agriculture to ensure Food Security?
“ The ‘Gene’ Revolution will provide a
molecular understanding of the genetic
basis of living organisms, as well as the
ability to use this understanding to
develop new processes and products for
agriculture, the environment, and for
human and animal health.”
“ Development of improved
technology alone cannot help
farmers grow food unless the
diffusion of technology of that
technology is facilitated by the
public policy” (Science, Ethics
and Food, 1988)
M.S. Swaminathan,
1987 World Food Prize Laureate
44 Mha=104 Mt (2.3 t/ha)
2 Mha HR (5t/ha)
20% HR +20% GM R = 130 Mt
(10 years)
42% Indian population (mostly women and children) are
malnourished : PM 2012
PS (psy)
Phytoene
(1)
PDS (crtI)
Lycopene
(2)
LC (lyc)
-carotene
-carotene (3)
Control
Transgenic
Either PPP or
Govt. needs to take a long term vision for a practical solution. India
should have freedom to operate of selecting lines/events and biosafety
issues to release the materials for research and further use
ABIOTIC STRESS TOLERANCE : DREB GENES
. Southern blot showing integration
of 0.8 kbp of DREB1A
Non-transgenic
Partial maps of the plasmid vectors of
DREB genes
qRT-PCR analyses showing the fold
induction of AtDREB1A expression in
response to drought stress
Transgenic
Laser confocal micrographs of epidermal peels of
transgenic and control rice plants under 6 days of
drought condition
Tansgenic plants surviving in hard soil
after 21 days without water
Datta K et al Plant Biotech. J. 2012
14 days continuous salt stress with EC12
C3 to C4 Crop: a possibility
Mitigate Terminal Heat & Rust
resistance in Wheat
CIMMYT/BGRI/INT partners are working for
the solutions
0.5
Temperature difference (o C)
-0.5
Days after sowing
Terminal heat
110 111 114 115 116 120 121 122 128 130 131 132 135 138 141 143 148 150 151 153
-1.5
-2.5
-3.5
-4.5
-5.5
Residue retained
Residue removed
-6.5
-7.5
Source: Jat et al (2009)
Gene helps rice grow in phosphorus-poor soils
August 23, 2012|By Rosie Mestel, Los Angeles Times
|IRRI, Nature 2012
The protein kinase Pstol1 from
traditional rice confers tolerance
of phosphorus deficiency
Rico Gamuyao,
& Sigrid Heuer
Nature 488,535–539(23
2012)doi:10.1038/nature11346
Plants, need phosphorus to
grow. What's more,
world supplies of
phosphorus -- it comes
from phosphate rock -are expensive for poor
farmers and won't last
forever
Biological Nitrogen fixation in cereals ?
Are genes required for nodulation for N2 fixation legume specific?
Rhizobial lipochitooligosaccharide nodulation factors activate
expression of the legume early nodulin gene ENOD12 in rice
PM Reddy, JK Ladha, MC Ramos, F Maillet, RJ Hernandaz, LB Torrizo,
NP Oliva, SK Datta and K Datta (1998)
The Plant Journal 14:693-702Transgenic rice harbouring legume
ENOD40 gene
M Dey, L Torrizo, RK Chaudhury, PM Reddy, JK Ladha, K Datta and SK
Datta (1999) Rice Gene Newsl 16:147-149
de
100th ISCA meeting at Kolkata on 3Jan 2013.
“Complex issues, be they Genetically modified
food or Nuclear energy, cannot be settled by
faith, emotion and fear but by structured
debate, analysis and enlightenment. A
scientific approach and understanding of these
issues are, therefore, as vital as our core
scientific capabilities”. India’s young must
adopt a “Science based value system”.
President at ICAR on 16.7.2013
“
“Change is the only constant thing in life”
Farmers need improved seeds & management
(water/nitrogen/phosphorus use efficiency + nutrition enriched higher Prod.)
• Science does not have boundary nor can be
judged where/how it is perceived rather best
possible science should be available and
utilized for human welfare
Thank you