Context: Recently, the world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant was planted on the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam.
About the GM Rubber plant

• It is developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII).
• The GM rubber plant, the first of its kind developed exclusively for the northeast, is expected to thrive in the climatic conditions of the region.
• The plant has additional copies of gene MnSOD (manganese containing superoxide dismutase) in it.
• The plant is expected to tide over severe cold conditions during winters, a major factor affecting the growth of young plants as natural rubber is a native of warm humid Amazon forests and is not naturally suited for cold conditions in the northeast.

Significance of GM Rubber Plant

• It will resist reduced moisture or drought, low and high temperatures as well as high light intensity.
• The new crop is expected to cut short the maturity period of rubber, indicating chances for early yielding as well.
• There are no plant species in India that can breed with natural rubber and there is no risk of genes flowing from GM rubber into any native species.

Reasons for GM Rubber crop in Northeast India

• The growth of young rubber remains suspended during the winter months which are also characterised by progressive drying of the soil.
• The MnSOD gene has the ability to protect plants from the adverse effects of severe environmental stresses such as cold, drought, etc.