For decades, farmers have wanted seeds that can grow better with fewer inputs—less fertilizer, fewer pesticides, and less water—yet give higher and more stable yields. Scientists across the world have been trying to create such “future-ready” crops using different breeding and biotechnology tools. Among these, genome editing has become one of the most powerful and precise ways to improve crops.
How DNA changes shape the crops we grow
DNA is the instruction book within every cell. Over centuries, tiny natural changes in the DNA of plants, known as mutations, led to useful traits like bigger seeds, better taste, or more resistance to pests. Early farmers saved seeds from plants with these helpful changes in DNA, slowly shaping the food crops we rely on today. When they selected certain plants to reproduce, they were choosing specific DNA traits to pass on to the next generation.
With growing knowledge, farmers and breeders began intentionally cross-breeding two different plant varieties, each carrying useful traits, to speed up crop improvement. For example, one type of rice might grow well in drought, while another gives high yield. By crossing them, breeders hope to create a new plant that has both qualities — drought tolerance and high yield. Cross-breeding is like mixing and matching different sets of DNA from two parent plants to get a better version.
In the mid-20th century, scientists began using mutation breeding—exposing seeds to radiation or chemicals to create random DNA changes—and selecting the rare beneficial mutants. This technique has since produced over 3,000 improved crop varieties worldwide.
Next came genetic modification (GM), which allows scientists to insert a specific gene from one organism into a plant to add useful traits such as pest resistance, herbicide tolerance, or improved nutrition. For example, Bt cotton—India’s only commercialized GM crop—produces a natural insecticide that protects it from damaging insects. GM technology makes it possible to transfer beneficial genes from virtually any organism into a crop to achieve the desired trait.
Genome editing is the most advanced addition to the breeders’ toolbox. CRISPR-Cas, a Nobel Prize–winning technology, works like a pair of molecular scissors to cut and modify plant DNA.
Once the desired change is made in DNA, the CRISPR scissors are no longer needed and can be removed through segregation, leaving behind plants with only a tiny, precise edit and no foreign genes. However, CRISPR tools like Cas9 and Cas12a are quite large, which makes it difficult to deliver them into plant cells. Since these tools are patented abroad, Indian scientists often face restrictions in using them for commercial applications. Now, an exciting discovery from India may help overcome this limitation and open new doors for crop improvement.
Researchers at the ICAR–Central Rice Research Institute (CRRI), Cuttack, have successfully adapted a tiny protein called TnpB for targeted genome editing in plants. A patent has recently been granted for this technology, titled “Systems and Methods for Targeted Genome Editing in Plants.” This is a major achievement for Indian agricultural research and signals the arrival of a new chapter in gene-editing innovation.
What is TnpB and why is it important for Indian farmers?
TnpB is a miniature alternative to Cas9. To understand TnpB, imagine a pair of scissors. Traditional genome-editing tools like Cas9 are powerful, but they are like using large garden shears to cut a tiny thread—they work, yet their big size makes them harder to handle.
TnpB, in contrast, is like a small, lightweight pair of scissors. While Cas9 has around 1300 amino acids, TnpB has only about 400—roughly one-third the size. This compactness makes it much easier to deliver into plant cells, especially through viral vectors or simple transformation methods. Smaller tools often enable more efficient editing, higher success rates, and lower overall costs.
ICAR has been granted a patent on TnpB
TnpB proteins naturally occur alongside transposons, which is why they are called transposon-associated protein B (TnpB). But until recently, no one had successfully adapted TnpB as a genome-editing tool for plants.
That is where our group at ICAR–Central Rice Research Institute stepped in. We established a complete TnpB-based genome-editing system capable of accurately editing plant DNA. We tested this tool in rice (a monocot) and Arabidopsis (a dicot) across multiple genes, and even demonstrated that TnpB can edit more than one gene at the same time. Our findings were published in the internationally reputed Plant Biotechnology Journal.
Because of the novelty and usefulness of this work, the Indian Patent Office has granted a full patent for the system. With this intellectual property held in India, Indian researchers will have easy access to this tool for advancing genome editing and crop improvement.
India taking the lead in Next-Generation genome editing
For years, most genome-editing innovations came from Europe, the USA, and China. The TnpB work from ICAR-CRRI puts Indian science on the global map. The development positions India at the forefront of next-generation genome editing.
The Road Ahead
The CRRI team is now working to refine the tool further, expand its use to other crops and develop a suite of next-generation gene-editing platforms. This discovery can help develop better crop varieties much faster, with stress tolerance and lower fertilizer needs, making farming more affordable and resilient.
(Kutubuddin Molla is Senior Scientist at Crop Improvement Division, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute (NRRI), Cuttack)