Plant Biotechnology

Overview

Plants and their associated biological systems are cornerstones of a sustainable ecosystem and the future health of our planet. “Plant systems science” goes far beyond food- and fiber-producing crops and is limited only by current scientific knowledge and tools to harness their benefits.

The technological landscape for deciphering plant biology & tools of bio-engineering has undergone a paradigm shift. Emerging technologies including precise engineering tools, computational advances, data management, non-invasive imaging, nanosensors/nano-diagnostics, automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence-assisted data integration and decision-making can bring transformative and sustainable change in Indian Agriculture by drastically improving input use efficiency and developing smart sensor plants.

The Plant Biotechnology Program of the Department encompasses harnessing new and emerging tools of biotechnology, for an in-depth understanding of natural and cultivated plant systems, engineering novel biological pathways, and unique plant architectures to transform crop improvement. Besides basic R&D to glean an insight into the physiology and developmental biology of plants. The program aims to support ground-breaking research ideas in systems and synthetic biology with an overall aim to engineer smart plant types for enhanced productivity and quality catering to agrarian ecosystem agriculture as well as industry, addressing bio-fortification, bio-security, and reduced environmental footprint driven bio-economy.

Mandate:

The program area will support basic and translation R&D through emerging tools & technologies to understand plant physiology and developmental biology-led climate-neutral and climate change-resilient plant systems.

The following priorities have been envisaged for this program:

Thrust Areas:

A. Basic Plant Biology and novel tools to decipher its diverse aspects

1. Understanding the myriad aspects of plant developmental biology and physiology;
2. Understanding gene function through OMICS and reverse genetics tools; and
3. Expanding or advancing the repertoire of molecular tools to decipher plant biology.

B. System and Synthetic Biology to create smart plant types

1. Re-designing/designing or improving existing metabolic pathways, novel genetic circuitry for carbon sequestration, photosynthetic efficiency, input use efficiency, nutrient acquisition efficiency, improved source-sink relationship, nitrogen fixation, bio-fortification, improved quality;
2. Driving improvement of agronomic traits of crop plants for ensuring sustainable production, increasing plant yield, plant adaptation to environmental stresses, disease resistance or crop nutritional value; and
3. Revamping plants for use as bioreactors to produce the desired proteins/products of therapeutic or industrial importance.

C. Plant Stress Biology & Adaptation, Interactomics and Bio-protectants

1. Elucidating mechanistic details of plant stress interactions, immune response, and underlying signalling pathways of abiotic and biotic stress response;
2. Engineering plant-biotic interactions to promote/limit synergistic and antagonistic associations, respectively;
3. Emerging solutions for early detection of biotic and abiotic stresses via portable, affordable and user-friendly diagnostics, and biosensors; and
4. Novel plant priming (biological, physiological, biostimulants, etc.,) and bio-protection (bio-pheromones, bio-pesticides, etc.,) solutions to mitigate such stresses.

D. Smart sensing solutions

1. Emerging solutions for portable, affordable and user-friendly detection of agrochemical residues, bio-threat agents, and safety & quality of produce along the agriculture supply chain; and
2. Transforming vertical farming (aeroponics/hydroponics/aquaponics) by enhancing input use efficiency and real-time diagnostics for biotic/abiotic stressors.

New Initiatives

Recognizing the potential of Genome Editing technology for the agriculture sector, the Government of India has recently exempted SDN1 & SDN2 categories of biosafety regulations under Rule 20 of Rules 1989 of the EPA 1989 thus setting the stage for harnessing the potential of this breakthrough technology for product development. Pursuant to this landmark decision by the Government, a call for Proposals was conceptualized and launched on ‘Genome Editing of Crops for Enhanced Attributes’. The aforesaid call is oriented to handhold the advanced stage leads already available within the country and also to generate new leads. The following broad Priority areas were identified for the said Call for Proposals:

1. Product development through leads available within the country, and are at the advanced stages of development
2. Deploying trait specific candidate gene(s) having well established proof-of-concept, into elite commercial cultivars/varieties.
3. Establishing proof-of-concept for novel candidate gene(s) for trait improvement, over and above the cultivars/varieties currently in use
4. Developing novel Indigenous tools (vectors, nucleases, etc.), methods, regeneration protocols for recalcitrant crops
5. Capacity building through familiarization of R&D tools for Genome editing

25 high-quality Network proposals received on the closing date of the call were peer-reviewed by the National (2) and International Experts (at least 1). A total of ~80 International and ~60 National experts were approached to seek peer comments on the full proposals. Based on peer comments and TEC deliberations, the call for proposals finally secured positive recommendations for 11 high-quality proposals wherein 34 legal entities have at least one component of a Network proposal with a financial implication of ~35 crores.

R&I Leads

Over the years, through Department support, gene-edited lines have been developed for specific traits, and novel applications of nanomaterials have been realized. Some of the major interventions/technology leads include:

1. Low erucic acid mustard lines with SDN1-type editing of the two target genes
2. Low glucosinolate mustard lines with SDN1-type editing of the candidate glucosinolate genes
3. Mustard lines with SDN1-type editing of the five target genes for biofortification of high amounts of anti-cancerous glucosinolate, glucoraphanin
4. SDN1 type medium bold ASD16 rice with enhanced aroma
5. CRISPR activation and inhibition toolkit optimized for Solanaceous crop(s) (tomato)
   

   

6. Genome editing of LCYE gene in cv. Grand Naine with 6-fold increase in beta-carotene while overexpression of DXS2 gene led to ~30-fold high content of pro-vitamin A in fruits of ratoon crops
   

   

7. A series of indigenously developed Brassica codon-optimized CRISPR/Cas9 vector systems having improved Cas9 expression have been developed which can be used for targeting multiple candidate gene homologs in other Brassica crops.
8. Bio-degradable nanofiber encapsulated biofertilizer to enhance phosphorus and other micronutrient uptake in rice.
9. Myrothecium verrucaria enzyme nanoformulation was developed for effective biocontrol of powdery mildew in tomato and grape in pot trials and field trials at 42 U that was on par with the chemical control.

Selected Publications/Patents

1. K. Swami, B. K. Sahu, M. Nagargade, K. Kaur, A. D. Pathak, S K Shukla, T Stobdan, Vijayakumar S. Starch wall of urea: Facile starch modification to residue free stable urea coating for sustained release and crop productivity. Carbohydrate Polymers. 2023. 317 121042. doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2023.121042 (IF: 11.2)
2. S. Kataria, M. Chandel, P. Kumar, M. Palanisami, N. Moun, S. Kanagarajanb and Vijayakumar S. Irrigation-friendly sensor to manage drought in crops through carbon-based signature volatile sensing Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical 2023 134975. doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2023.134975 (IF:8.4)
3. R. Kartikeyan, D. Murugan, T. Ajaykamal, M. Varadhan, L. Rangasamy, M. Velusamy, M. Palaniandavar and V. Rajendiran. Mixed ligand copper(II)-diimine complexes of 2-formyl pyridine-N4 -phenyl thiosemicarbazone: diimine co-ligands tune the in vitro nanomolar cytotoxicity. Dalton Trans., 2023, 52, 9148.https://doi.org/10.1039/D3DT00213F. (IF:4.0)
4. Mamindla, M. Varadhan, R. Kartikeyan, A. Amuthamozhi, M. Abdulkader Akbarsha, V. Rajendiran, Comparative DNA-/BSA-binding, DNA cleavage, and cytotoxic properties of copper(II) amino/salicyl-phenolate Schiff bases (phen) complexes that induce generation of phenoxyl radicals. Journal of Polyhedron. 243, 2023, 116534.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poly.2023.116534. (IF 2.6)
5. Mishra, P., Mathur, H.D. (2023). Nature-Inspired Optimization Algorithm-Assisted Optimal Sensor Node Positioning for Precision Agriculture Applications in Asymmetric Fields. In: Bansal, H.O., Ajmera, P.K., Joshi, S., Bansal, R.C., Shekhar, C. (eds) Next Generation Systems and Networks. BITS-EEE-CON 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 641. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0483-9_7.ISBN: 978-981-99-0482-2 (IF:0.361)
6. Sreelatha B, Koteswara Rao V (2023). Compendium of Thermomyces lanuginosus: Biodiversity and Biotechnological Potentials. Wester Books Publisher. ISSBN:978-3-96492-461-2.
7. Bhandari, Y., Varma, S., Sawant, A., Beemagani, S., Jaiswal, N., Chaudhari, B. P., & Koteswara Rao V (2023). Biosynthesis of gold nanoparticles by Penicillium rubens and catalytic detoxification of ochratoxin A and organic dye pollutants. International Microbiology.26:1-28. 10.1007/s10123-023-00341-5. (IF:6.7)
8. Vinod Kumar Jangid, a Senthil-Kumar, Divya Chandran, and Senjuti Sinharoy (2023) Callus induction and efficient in vitro plant regeneration protocol for Chickpea. (Accepted) in Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) (IF:3.0)
9. M. Bansal and B. Pal 2023. Starch-modified NiFe layered double hydroxide composites for better adsorption and photocatalytic removal of reactive dye and piroxicam-20 drug. Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res., vol. 30, no. 29, pp. 73825–73848, 2023, doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-27592-z. (IF:5.8)
10. Gogoi R., Baruah M., Borgohain A., Saikia J., Baruah V. J., Rohman S., Singh M., Kar R., Dey S. K., Mazumder B, Karak T. Intercalation vs Adsorption Strategies of Myo-Inositol Hexakisphosphate into Zn−Fe Layered Double Hydroxide: A Tiff between Anion Exchange and Coprecipitation. ACS Omega, 2023, 8 (45), 43151–43162. (IF: 4.1)
11. Maduraimuthu D., Alagarswamy S., Prabhakaran J., Karuppasami, K.M., Venugopal P.B.R., Koothan V., Natarajan S., Dhashnamurthi V., Veerasamy R., Rathinavelu S., Parasuraman B. Drought Tolerance of Mungbean Is Improved by Foliar Spray of Nanoceria. Agronomy 2023, 13, 201. (IF:3.7)
12. Eevera T., Kumaran S., Djanaguiraman M., Thirumaran T., Le Q. H., Pugazhendhi A. Unleashing the potential of nanoparticles on seed treatment and enhancement for sustainable farming. Environmental Research 2023, 236, 116849. (IF:8.3)
13. Kaur R., Panesar, P. S., and Riar, C. S. (2023). Green extraction of dietary fiber concentrate from pearl millet bran and evaluation of its microstructural and functional properties. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 1-10 (IF. 4.0)
14. Das J.M., Bala A., Upadhyay J. and Borah R. “Role of nanotechnology in crop management” In Nanotechnology for Abiotic Stress Tolerance and Management in Crop Plants, Elsevier, 2023. ISBN:9780443185007
15. C Tharini, G Iyappan, E Manikandan, Percy J Sephra, Potentiometric sensing of potassium ion (K+) using valinomycin supported on ZnO/rGO nanocomposites J. Mater. Sci. Mater. Electron.,2023,34,19,1474 (IF:2.1)
16. Mitra, D., Alloun, W., Bhaskar Sawant, S., Janeeshma, E., Priyadarshini, A., Behera, S., Senapati, A., Satapathy, S., Das Mohapatra, P.K. and Panneerselvam, P. 2023. Nanoparticles for the improved horticultural crop production. In: Fotopoulos, V. and Gohari, G. ed. Engineered Nanoparticles in Agriculture: From Laboratory to Field. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, pp. 271-282. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501523229-009
17. Jangid V K, Senthil-Kumar M, Chandran D and Sinharoy S (2024) Callus induction and efficient in vitro plant regeneration protocol for Chickpea. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 156: 21. (IF:3.0)
18. Kumar V, Singh B, Kumar Singh R, Sharma N, Muthamilarasan M, Sawant SV, Prasad M. Histone deacetylase 9 interacts with SiHAT3.1 and SiHDA19 to repress dehydration responses through H3K9 deacetylation in foxtail millet. J Exp Bot. 2024 Feb 2;75(3):1098-1111. (IF: 6.9)
19. Kaur Jaspreet, Pooja Manchanda, Harleen Kaur, Pankaj Kumar, Anu Kalia, Sat Pal Sharma, and Monica Sachdeva Taggar. "In silico identification, Characterization and Expression Analysis of Genes Involved in Resistant Starch Biosynthesis in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Varieties." Molecular Biotechnology (2024): 1-18 (IF:2.6)
20. Kaur Rupinder, Sat Pal Sharma, Anu Kalia, Navraj Kaur, and Pooja Manchanda. "In vitro induction and selection of mutants obtained through gamma irradiation with improved processing traits in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)." International Journal of Radiation Biology 100, no. 1 (2024): 139-149. (IF:2.6)
21. Percy J. Sephra, C. Tharini, A. Sachdev, E. Manikandan, An efficient sensing system using Ion-Selective Membrane on Ni2O3/rGO nanocomposite for electrochemical detection of nitrate ions. J alloys compd In Press, Journal Pre-proof. 15 January 2024, 173414. (IF: 6.371)
22. Kumar, P. Chandel, M. Kataria, S. Swami, K. Kaur, K. Sahu, B. Dadhich, A. Urkude, Rajashri Subaharan, K. Koratkar, N. Vijayakumar S. Hand-Held crop pest sensor using binary catalyst loaded nano-SnO2 particles for oxidative signal amplification. ACS sensor 2024, 9, 1, 81–91 doi.org/10.1021/acssensors.3c01669. (IF:8.1)

Patents filed (2023):

1. Invention disclosure submitted “Development of ssDNA Aptamers for the precise detection of Ochratoxin A in food and feed to ensure the food safety” vide file no. IP: 2023-INV-0012
2. A composition of culture medium for producing viable flowers and method for producing viable flowers in culture medium. The Patent Office Journal No. 12/2023 Dated 24/03/2023
3. Indian patent application number - 202311015285 dated 2023/03/07
   “RNP complex for crop protection against bacterial diseases”.

Patents filed (2022):

1. Indian Patent Filed for Bio-degradable nanofiber encapsulated biofertilizer to enhance phosphorus and other micro nutrient uptake in rice
2. Indian Patent Filed for Nanoclays of Mg-Al-NO3 (MA) LDHs for crop protection against aphid infestation
3. Patent Filed for recombinant expression cassettes for modification of glucosinolate content in mustard plants

Patents filed (2020/21):

1. Novel protein against fungal pathogens isolated from Burkholderia gladioli strain NGJ1 for controlling wide variety of fungal diseases. Currently collaborating with industrial partner to develop the protein as antifungal formulation [Australian Patent, granted on Oct 2020, U.S. Patent (Application No. 16/318,504). Notice of allowance issued on 21-07-2021, Cihinese Patent (application No. 201780044912.0), Indonesian Patent (Application No. PID 2019 00363), Granted on June 2021].

Contacts Concerned Officer for more Information