New Delhi, June 5 :

India could lead the region in field trials of genetically modified (GM) brinjal if genetic engineering approval committee (GEAC) of the environment and forests ministry gives its nod.

Some genetically modified versions of crops like mustard, potato, tomato are approaching the stage of large-scale field trials to test their suitability for commercial cultivation, according to M K Bhan, secretary department of biotechnology (DBT). “Work on transgenic food crops is going on well. Brinjal, mustard and potato, are among transgenic crops awaiting permission for large-scale field trials,” Bhan said.

“Nothing is going like brinjal, in which the work has advanced considerably. The bio-safety package has been completed and it may enter large-scale field trial soon,” the official added.

“Permission has been sought for large-scale trials and it may be taken up by GEAC at the next meeting in mid-June,” the official said.

“The large scale field trials may take one to two years. If approved for commercial cultivation after that, India will be the first country in the region to be producing Bt brinjal,” the official added.

Widely cultivated and consumed in the region, brinjal or eggplant requires extensive use of pesticides next only to cotton.

With the Bt gene to provide protection against pests like shoot and fruit borer and helicoverpa, there are eight hybrid varieties of brinjal of different shapes and colours grown in different parts of the country that are to be taken up for trials.While the Bt gene used in brinjal is the same as that used in Bt cotton, more extensive tests are being carried out as this time it involves a food crop. “Bt brinjal was tested for toxicity study with goats, cattle, fish, poultry, rat, mice and rabbit. The reports show adverse impact on health. All the data has been generated in public funded institutions,” a DBT official informed.

“The varieties being developed are for domestic consumption. Under the Indo-US collaboration programme the Cornell University is piloting a project - Agriculture Biotechnology Supportive Programme phase II - under which this technology will be transferred to Bangladesh and the Philippines,” the official said.

On the apprehensions of the environmentalists, Bhan assured, “We want to go to the market with transgenics but will never compromise with bio-safety.” While issues of efficacy of transgenic gene against pests and bio-safety will be addressed during large-scale field trial, for the consumers the proposed legislation on food labelling is expected to provide a safeguard, the official stated.

Transgenic mustard and potato may take another four to five years before reaching commercial production stage. The effort in the case of these two food crops is to raise the quality of crop to yield more oil in case of mustard and for better nutrition quality in potato. The GM mustard developed by the National Research Centre for Rapeseed and Mustard has barnase-barstar genes incorporated for increasing oil content.

Delhi University experts are conducting the trials of the GM mustard, which faced resistance some years back on question of bio-safety and health issues.

The question now being examined is whether transgenic mustard would indeed yield more oil and whether it would be in tandem with human and environmental health.