Genetically Modified Rubber

• Integrity Education, Delhi
• 23, Jun 2021

Why in news: World’s first GM rubber sapling planted in Assam

• The plant was developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII).
• It was planted at Rubber board’s Sarutari research farm in Guwahati.

Issue with natural Rubber

Natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon forests and is not naturally suited for the colder conditions in the Northeast, which is one of the largest producers of rubber in India.

GM Rubber

The GM rubber has additional copies of the gene MnSOD, or manganese-containing superoxide dismutase, inserted in the plant, which is expected to tide over the severe cold conditions during winter — a major factor affecting the growth of young rubber plants in the region.