Recently, ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) has developed the world's first genome-edited rice varieties. Which of the following statements is/are correct with respect to the developed products? 1. The genome-edited varieties — DRR Rice 100 (Kamla) and Pusa DST Rice 1 have been developed by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi. 2. DRR Rice 100 (Kamla), based on Samba Mahsuri, has a shorter duration of maturity. Select the answer using the code given below:

Correct — B, 2 only. Statement 1 fails on attribution. The two genome-edited rice varieties released in May 2025 came from two different ICAR institutes, not one: Pusa DST Rice 1 was developed at ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi — the institute whose varieties carry the 'Pusa' prefix — while DRR Dhan 100, named Kamala, came from ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research at Hyderabad. The variety name itself carries the clue, since 'DRR' preserves that institute's former name, the Directorate of Rice Research. Crediting both to IARI is therefore wrong. Statement 2 is right: Kamala was produced by editing Samba Mahsuri, the popular fine-grained variety, and one of the gains claimed for it is a shorter duration to maturity than its parent — roughly a fortnight to three weeks earlier — which saves irrigation water and frees the field sooner for the next crop, alongside a higher yield potential.

• (a)1 only — Inverts the item: it accepts the wrong attribution and rejects the true agronomic claim.
• (c)Both 1 and 2 — The tempting option, because IARI is the best-known ICAR institute and it did develop one of the two. The other came from IIRR Hyderabad, so the statement as written is false.
• (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Rejects the shorter-duration claim, which is the headline agronomic benefit reported for Kamala.

Genome editing changes an organism's own DNA at a chosen site, typically with CRISPR-Cas, without inserting foreign genes. That distinguishes it from transgenic modification, and in India it matters legally: SDN-1 and SDN-2 edited plants, which carry no foreign DNA, were exempted in 2022 from the stricter GEAC rules that govern genetically modified organisms, which is what allowed these varieties to reach release.

The two varieties were bred for different traits from different parents. Kamala edits Samba Mahsuri for earlier maturity and higher yield; Pusa DST Rice 1 edits the salt-and-drought-tolerance pathway in MTU 1010 to hold yield in saline and alkaline soils. Both were announced as among the first genome-edited rice varieties released anywhere. Two cautions belong in any answer on this. First, the phrase 'world's first' in the stem is the government's framing, and other countries have released edited crops — Japan's edited tomato and Sicilian rouge, for instance — so the safer claim is 'among the first edited rice varieties released'. Second, release is not the same as reaching farmers' fields: seed multiplication for both varieties was still under way after the exam.

• DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) was developed by ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, from Samba Mahsuri.
• Pusa DST Rice 1 was developed by ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, from MTU 1010, for salinity and alkalinity tolerance.
• Both were announced in May 2025 as genome-edited, not genetically modified — no foreign DNA is inserted.
• SDN-1 and SDN-2 genome-edited plants were exempted from GEAC rules in India in 2022, which made release possible.
• Kamala's claimed gains over Samba Mahsuri are earlier maturity and higher yield potential.

• Assuming every 'Pusa' and non-Pusa variety comes from IARI. The prefix identifies the institute, and DRR is Hyderabad's.
• Confusing genome editing with genetic modification. Edited SDN-1/SDN-2 plants carry no foreign gene, which is why the regulatory route differed.
• Repeating 'world's first' without qualification. Other edited crops have been released elsewhere.

As a two-statement item where one statement misattributes an institution and the other states a genuine agronomic gain. Institutional attribution is a favourite falsification because it is easy to overlook.

No directly related past PYQ was found.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  The genome-edited rice variety DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) was developed from which parent variety?

  • (a)MTU 1010
  • (b)Samba Mahsuri
  • (c)Swarna
  • (d)Pusa Basmati 1121

  Answer(b) Samba Mahsuri — Pusa DST Rice 1 was developed from MTU 1010.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Genome-edited plants of the SDN-1 and SDN-2 categories differ from genetically modified plants mainly because they:

  • (a)Are produced only in laboratories
  • (b)Contain no foreign DNA
  • (c)Cannot be patented
  • (d)Are always sterile

  Answer(b) Contain no foreign DNA — which is why India exempted them from GEAC rules in 2022.