New Delhi, May 7 -- On May 4, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare released two genome-edited rice varieties-DRR Rice 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1-with an aim to increase production, and drought and salinity tolerance.

Scientists at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR) in Hyderabad developed DRR Rice 100 (Kamala) based on Sambha Masuri (BPT-5204) and ICAR-IARI (Indian Agricultural Research Institute) in New Delhi developed Pusa DST Rice 1 based on Cotton Dora Sannalu (MTU 1010).

The government has claimed that the two improved varieties have the potential to bring about "revolutionary changes" in terms of higher yield and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and th...