In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Dr Jitendra Singh said, GM mustard hybrid Dhara Mustard Hybrid-11 (DMH-11) has been tested for three years against national check Varuna and zonal check RL1359 during the confined field trials i.e., Biosafety Research Level (BRL)-I and BRL-II trials at multiple locations.
- ‘Checks’ refer to reference varieties of mustard in a region and usually, new varieties must prove themselves superior to be considered for commercial release.
Key findings
- DMH-11 showed approximately 28% more yield than the national check and 37% more than the zonal checks.
- Bar gene is responsible for herbicide tolerance and its use has been claimed and approved by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC). The GEAC is an autonomous body of experts authorised by the Union environment ministry to appraise the safety of genetically modified seeds.
- The only other transgenic seed permitted to be commercially cultivated in India is Bt cotton.
- Extensive studies carried out on toxicity (both acute and sub-chronic), allergenicity, compositional analysis, field trials and environmental safety studies of GM mustard lines vs. their non-transgenic comparators have provided evidence that mustard (B. juncea) lines Varuna bn 3.6, EH-2 modbs 2.99 and DMH-11 are safe for cultivation and for food and feed use.
- Visitation of bees to the transgenic lines is similar to the non-transgenic counterparts.
