| Popis: |
Grain legumes are a rich source of protein for humans and their livestock. Since the implementation of the Green Revolution, the cultivation of most of the legumes has been neglected. However, due to the high demand for animal-based protein, soybean has received considerable attention for the past several decades, including the generation of genetically engineered (GE) soybean. In 1996, GE soybeans tolerant to the herbicide glyphosate were commercialized. Soybeans resistant to pod borers (Bt-soybean) were also released, and subsequently, both these traits were stacked in soybean varieties and commercialized in 2010. The successful introduction of transgenes in soybean slowly stimulated GE research on other legumes. The biolistic and Agrobacterium-mediated methods of gene transfer were used successfully on other major legumes, and transgenic lines of some were developed for potential commercial release. Transgenic beans resistant to Bean yellow mosaic virus were approved in 2011 but have not yet been grown by farmers. Bt-cowpea was approved for commercial release in Nigeria in 2019 and is expected to be available to farmers in 2020. In India, Bt-chickpea lines were approved for field trials, but regulatory approval for commercial release is still pending. Several laboratories have documented the possibility of improving pea, lentil, and pigeonpea, but regulatory-ready transgenic lines with improved traits are not yet available for release. Thus, GE technology is available for all the major legumes but is widely deployed only in soybean so far. It is noteworthy that a recent study on the environmental impact of GE soybean (both single gene and stacked products) reported a significant improvement in farm income, lower carbon footprint, and better sustainability of the farm environment. Therefore, more investment from both the public and private sectors is justified to improve agronomic and nutritional traits of other legumes including exploiting the potential of the new breeding techniques (ZFNs, TALENs, and CRISPR). |
