World’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant has planted in Assam

The world’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber plant developed by RRII was planted on the outskirts of Guwahati, Assam.

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It is developed by the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII), under the Rubber Board through long years of research in its Biotechnology laboratory.

The GM rubber plant, which is the first of its kind developed specifically for the northeast and is expected to flourish in the region’s climatic conditions.

The plant has additional copies of gene MnSOD (manganese-containing superoxide dismutase) in it and is expected to revolutionize natural rubber production in India.

It can protect plant cells and can also survive in severe environmental stresses such as cold and drought.