One of India’s two gene-edited rice varieties is set to be planted in the upcoming rabi season for seed multiplication, more than a year after its announcement, according to Agri TIO. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is expected to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this month with US-based Corteva, which holds the license for the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology, paving the way for the commercial release of "Pusa DST Rice 1".
MoU approvals and commercial release
Agri TIO reported that ICAR has received 2 of the 3 approvals required to sign the MoU with Corteva, including one from the Ministry of External Affairs. Once the third approval is received, the agreement will be signed. After that, the path will open for the commercial release of Pusa DST Rice 1, developed by ICAR’s New Delhi-based Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI).
“First the MoU will be signed with Corteva and next will be with US-based MIT/Broad institute which has the patent over ‘CRISPR-CaS12a’ tool,” said a top official, according to Agri TIO.
The CRISPR-CaS12a tool was used to develop DRR Dhan 100 (KAMALA), a second gene-edited rice variety developed by the Hyderabad-based Indian Institute of Rice Research.
Pusa DST Rice 1: higher yields under stress
Pusa DST Rice 1 is derived from MTU1010, a variety suitable for rabi season in southern states. Since MTU1010 is sensitive to several abiotic stresses including drought and salinity, scientists edited the SDNI mutant of the Drought and Salt Tolerance (DST) gene and tested the new variety in multilocation field trials during 2023 and 2024.
The trials showed Pusa DST Rice 1 outperforming its parent under all three stress conditions tested, according to Agri TIO:
| Condition | Pusa DST Rice 1 (kg/ha) | MTU 1010 (kg/ha) |
|---|---|---|
| Coastal salinity stress | 2,493 | 1,912 |
| Inland salinity stress | 3,508 | 3,199 |
| Alkalinity condition | 3,731 | 3,254 |
ICAR recommends Pusa DST Rice 1 can be grown in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Seed multiplication and rollout plan
Agri TIO reported that IARI has already kept about 2 tonnes of Pusa DST Rice 1, sufficient for starting seed multiplication in the upcoming rabi season, with transplanting around November. On May 4, 2025, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the breakthrough of ICAR’s scientists, in which for the first time two rice varieties were developed using gene editing technology.
IP licensing and humanitarian access
Before the MoU could be signed with ICAR, Corteva signed a long-term humanitarian licensing agreement with ICRISAT. Announcing the partnership on August 3, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) said it has secured long-term access to CRISPR-Cas9 to deploy gene editing across smallholder Asian and African farms.
Scientists told Agri TIO that there is no issue using the patented tool during research, but due to the Intellectual Property Rights of the technology, any commercialisation of new varieties from that research is prohibited unless the patent holder or its licensee agrees.
AI-designed enzymes: a scientific first
Even as ICAR works on the MoU, its own team of scientists led by Kutubuddin Ali Molla has shown that AI-designed enzymes can accurately edit plant DNA, enabling gene knockout, base editing and prime editing in crops. While a US company had earlier developed a similar AI-designed system for human cells, this is the first successful demonstration in plants.
Genome editing technology (CRISPR-Cas) works like a molecular scalpel, allowing scientists to precisely cut and rewrite sections of a plant’s DNA to develop traits such as higher yield, climate resilience or disease resistance without introducing foreign genes. Until now, these tools relied on proteins borrowed from bacteria and other microbes found in nature.
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