Icrisat Researchers Help Raise Groundnut Cro

Icrisat Researchers Help Raise Groundnut Cro

Context

• Researchers at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in Hyderabad have developed dual strategies to keep groundnuts almost free of contamination by aflatoxin — a toxin produced by the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus.

The dual strategies

• One strategy prevents groundnuts from being infected by the fungus and thus preventing the toxins from being produced.
• The other strategy prevents the fungus from producing the toxin even if groundnuts somehow get infected with the fungus.
• As both strategies showed promising results, the aim of the research is to combine the two traits into a single variety to offer double protection so that groundnuts do not accumulate any aflatoxin or the amount of toxin is well within permissible limits at or after harvest.

What was the research?

• Genetic engineering approaches were used for inserting two alfalfa genes into groundnut plants to enhance immunity against fungal infection and growth.
• The researchers selected two specific genes from alfalfa and inserted them into groundnut plants to enhance the immunity against fungal infection and growth.
• Groundnuts showed very little fungal infection and negligible aflatoxin contamination.
  To further prevent toxin production even when groundnuts get infected with the fungus, the researchers designed two small RNA molecules that silence the fungal genes which produce aflatoxin.
• Once the fungus and plant come in contact with each other, the small RNA molecules from the plant enter the fungus and prevent it from producing aflatoxin.

What is Alfalfa?

• Alfalfa is a flowering plant of the pea family. Preventing aflatoxin production even in case of any infection was achieved through a plant-induced gene silencing technique.

Result of combining two traits

• It is a proof-of-concept study. The researchers used conventional plant breeding approaches to develop a variety that has both the traits in place.
• The researchers plan to start field trials early next year.
• The breeding of the two traits will take around one-two years into a single variety and about three years to conduct biosafety trials followed by the development of regionally adapted groundnut varieties.
• Once the approval is granted by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), farmers will have a groundnut variety that is near-immune to aflatoxin contamination in five to seven years.

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)

• The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is an international organization which conducts agricultural research for rural development, headquartered in Patancheru (Hyderabad, Telangana, India) with several regional centers and research stations.
• It was founded in 1972 by a consortium of organizations convened by the Ford and the Rockefeller foundations. Its charter was signed by the FAO and UNDP.
• Since its inception, host country India has granted a special status to ICRISAT as an UN organization operating in the Indian territory making it eligible for special immunities and tax privileges.
• ICRISAT is managed by a full-time Director General functioning under the overall guidance of an international Governing Board.