Genome editing laboratory launched at NIRCA in Rajamahendravaram

ICAR-Crop Sciences focuses on gene mapping for climate change; NIRCA inaugurates Genome Editing Lab for crop improvement.

Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR-Crop Sciences) Deputy Director General T.R. Sharma said on Tuesday, January 21, that gene mapping of various plant species is crucial to tackling climate change in the future.

Union Minister of State for Steel Bhupathi Raju Srinivasa Varma and Mr. Sharma inaugurated the Genome Editing Laboratory at the Crop Improvement Division of the National Institute for Research on Commercial Agriculture (NIRCA), formerly known as the Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI), at Rajahmundry. CTRI’s 70th anniversary was celebrated on Tuesday. 

Mr. Sharma said, “NIRCA scientists should focus on gene mapping of the turmeric, chilli, castor and ashwagandha varieties which were recently added to the institute’s research mandate.”

Mr. Varma, who unveiled the plaque displaying NIRCA’s new logo, vision, and mandate, said that the research at the institute should help farmers double their incomes. He also stressed the need for a special focus on value-added products.

Mr. Sharma and Mr. Varma have inaugurated NIRCA’s NEST, a sales point of value-added products of turmeric and ashwagandha, which were developed by the Post-Harvest and Value Addition Division of (NIRCA) under the aegis of Principal Scientist K. Suman Kalyani.

NIRCA Director Manganti Sheshu Madhav, Tobacco Board Chairman Ch. Yashwanth Kumar, Shaik N. Meera, Director of the Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) in Hyderabad, and other scientists were present.