Building Biotechnology for a Knowledge-based Bioeconomy

Brain Storming Session Prioritization of Research for

Development of N-W Himalyan States 12-13 July 2013, GBPUAST Pantnagar

Dr Nazir A Ganai

Head, Division of Biotechnology

SKUAST-Kashmir

Agriculture and the Bieconomy

Contents:

A SWOT analysis of agriculture in J & K Status of agriculture in J & K

Challenges and Opportunities facing agriculture

Bioeconomy- the way forward?

What is it?

Why Bioeconomy ?

Global trends

Our Initiatives in Biotech applications

Recommendations

North-Westen Himalyan States

J & K: 2.22 lac Sq km

(65% )

H P: 0.55 lac Sq km

(18% )

Uttrakuand: 0.53 lac

Sq km (17% )

Land Resource in J & K ( Ha)

G-2,65,000

E-74,000 D- 1,05,000

C-2,11,300

B- 2,91,000

A - 6,58,000

F- 7,52,000

A Forest

B Non-Agricultural Land

C Barren & Uncultivable Land

D Permanent Pastures & Other Grazing Land

E Fallow Land Including Current Fallows

F Net Area Sown (31% of the land use area) or 7 % of total Geographic area

G Area under Fruit Crops

Contribution of different sectors to economy in J & K

46%

25%

30%

50%

35%

15%

J & K National

Industrial investment in J & K

National

Agribase economy in J & K

• the economy - bio-mass based.

• Subsistence requirements of the people for: – food grains,

– firewood,

– fodder,

– timber for housing,

– milk, meat, fibre and

– medicines are derived from the plant and animal resources available in the state.

Agribase economy in J & K • Inputs for industrial and commercial sectors - obtained

from the bio-mass produce of the state.

• Export of fresh and dry fruits,

• the famous saffron and honey,

• timber, resin, medicinal items,

• the basmati of Jammu region

• Famous handicrafts: • Pashmina shawls, carpets etc

• artefacts carved from walnut

• Tourism industry: tourists are attracted largely by the scenic natural beauty of the state with its lofty lush green mountain ranges, towering snow-clad peaks, placid sparking lakes, bubbling streams and springs.

Our strengths and opportunities

• Vast area: 2.22 lac sq kms (67% of N-W Himalya)

• Diverse and varied agro-climatic zones – Cold arid ladakh region – Temperate Kashmir region – Sub-tropical jammu region

• Rich Biodiversity – Ethnic diversity – Flora : 3,054 species. – Domestic & Wild life: 16% of india – Rich Medicinal & Aromatic plants

Strengths …….. • Unique Cash crops • Kashmir:

– Saffron – monopoly in india – Apple: 77% production in country – Walnuts: monopoly – Spices: Kashmiri mirchi, kala zeera, – Floriculture

• Jammu: – Basmiti- Quality – Rajmash – Black caraway (Zeera)

• Ladakh – Pashmina fibre – Apricot – Herbs related amchi system of medicine

Diversity

Temperature +40O C to - 40OC

Altitude 3000 ft to 24000 ft above MSL

Rainfall 110 mm Ladakh to 600 mm

Effect of herbal extracts on the cell

proliferation in Prostate cancer

cell line, C4-2 cells

Preserving and enhancing the indigenous plant knowledge is actually rescuing a global heritage

and is a recognized tool in search for new drugs and pharmaceutical sources, (Lambert et al.,

1997)

Nearly 50 per cent of the plant species described in British

pharmacopoeia are reported to grow in Kashmir valley

• Till date more than 5000 aromatic/medical plants have been discovered in

Jammu and Kashmir.

• Scientific observations reveal that the state could become the superpower in

future for the herbal medicines and perfumes if the huge resources are

exploited properly and effectively

Floral Diversity Floral Diversity

Animal Diversity Tree Diversity

Challenges facing agriculture

• Widening demand and supply gaps: – 40% import of food grains - 8 lac tones ( ~ Rs 9 billion)

– 20% vegetables - 1 lac tonnes (~ Rs 1 billion)

– 60% meat (sheep and goat) (~ Rs 3 billion)

• Increasing population pressure from highest growth rates in the country (2.7 % vs 1.6%). ,

• Shrinking land resources due to population expansion, urbanisation and soil degradation, indiscriminate & unplanned growth of housing sector

• Fragile Climate: Extreme winters, long dry spells,

• Rain fed agriculture due to peculiar topography

• Receding glaciers due to global warming further aggravate the problems inherent to the rain fed agriculture J & K,

----challanges

• deforestation, loss of biodiversity and qualitative deterioration of the pastures

• indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides contaminating food, soil and water beyond minimum permissible levels.

• over exploitation of natural resource base and environmental quality decline,

• global warming and climate change leading to emergence of new biotic and abiotic stresses

• stagnation in productivity of agricultural crops • Subsistence agriculture ( less renumerative)

Vanishing “Venice of Asia” , Dal Lake disappearing (National Geographic News, June 9, 2010)

Deweeding of Dal Lake costs millions of rupees to Kashmir budget

In 20th Century “Dal Lake” represented a goldmine of Tourism in Kashmir

Biotechnology has a solution for ‘dying Dal Lake’

Grass Carp, a

voracious grass eater

fish, when genetically

modified in china ,

resulted in 42%

increase in growth

rate and 16%

increase in grass

consumption

Transgenic carp

Chinese Science Bulletin 2003 Vol.

48 No.16 1764 1770

Sustainable production of

renewable biomass?

PM Dr. Manmohan Singh at G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology on June 19, 2010, said…

“ policymakers and scientists need to put their heads together for developing sustainable technologies that can produce more from less in the background of the

new challenges of global warming and climate change…”

The bioeconomy : the way forward

the sustainable production of renewable biomass which includes any biological material to be used as raw material and

conversion of biomass into a range of food, health, fibre and industrial products and energy

can play an important role in both creating economic growth, and in formulating effective responses to pressing challenges- food /nutritional security, clean environment and human health

Way forward - KBBE

• Convergence of Biotechnology , nanotchnology and bioinformatics

• provides the knowledge-base for the sustainable management, production and use of biological resources…

• provides new, safe, affordable and eco-efficient products …

• Through • Shift in practice from a sectoral approach to our problems

towards a more integrated approach of the KBBE.

• Knowledge and innovation in bilogical sciences

Biomass

feedstockAnimal and plant

therapeutics

and diagnostics Nutraceuticals

and

pharmaceutical

production

Fine chemical

production

Research on

genomes, cell

processes, and

bioinformatics

Health:

new therapies

and diagnostics

Industry:

enzymes, biofuels,

and bioplastics

Primary production:

food, feed, fibre,

and cellulosic crops

Integration across Biotechnology Applications

Our Initiatives and Successes in Biotech Applications

-- fragmented nd isolated attempts

Biotechnological Interventions for Improving Reproductive Performance

• Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) in Goats & Sheep

• Simplified/Modified zona-free Cloning Technique

“First Cloned Pashmina Goat “NOORI” born at Division of Biotechnology, SKUAST-K, Srinagar, through this Technique”.

“Noorie” with her foster dam •

“Noorie” at 1 year of Age •

Enucleated Eggs

Reconstructed embryos cultured in lab for 7 days

Blastocyst

Clones

Goat ovaries

Donor cell culture

Somatic cell donor

Oocyte –somatic cell fusion

Foster mother

PRODUCTION OF CLONED PASHMINA GOAT AT SKUAST KASHMIR

Incubation (38.5 C)

Cloning. Laboratory, Centre of Animal Biotechnology, SKUAST-K, Srinagar

Awards & Achievements

PI of the Project receiving cerificate of appreciation from DG, ICAR and

Minister for Agriculture, J&K

J&K Tableau on Republic Day 2013 depicting Centre of Biotechnology, SKUAST Kashmir and its

research achievements

PI being awarded by the Chief Minister Omer Abdullah

Bioprospecting of genes for cold tolerance

Pashmina Goat Bactrian Camel

Abiotic Stress Factor : Cold Stress

Heatmap analysis of differentially

expressed genes in pashmina

goat under Cold vs Hot

conditions in Blood and Skin

Important candidate genes identified

1. ADRB: Adrenoegic receptor binding

2. CIRBP: cold induced RNA binding

3. RBM3: RNA binding motif

4. UCP1 : Uncoupling protein

5. HIF-1 Hypoxia inducible Factor

6. GAS7 : Growth arrest specific

7. IGF1: Insulin like growth factor

8. LSP lympocyte specific protein

9. PAM: Neurotransmitter

10.HSP105

11.HSP47

12.HSP70-1

Figure 2: Ven diagram representing the number of transcripts in skin samples of pashmina goats whose changes in expression during different seasons.

Camel Genome Information Resource

A second database on complete

transcriptome of ~ 21000 transcripts is

under development.

Other Important Achievements

• Vaccine against foot rot in sheep and goat

– Increased Fecundity in Sheep

• M A Introgression of FecB gene

• Lambing percentage increase from 80% to 150

•

Apple industry-

India : 7th largest producer of apple

Kashmir: 70% to apple production

At a cost of : 7000 Tons of fungicides annually

Concerns: Impacts Human Health & Environment,

future marketing oppurtunities

Challenge:

Breed for disease resistance

Develop Bio control agents for disease management

State Area (000 HA)

Production (ooo MT)

Productivity (MT/HA)

J & K 133 1330 10

HP 97 510 5

Uttranchal 32 132 4

Biopesticides developed in SKUAST-K:

Biowilt- X (Trichoderma harzianum) Biocomp-X (Pseudomonas fluorescens)

USA Patent No: (No. US 7, 815, 903 B2; Date of Grant 19-10-2010) and

India Patent No: (239609; Date of Grant 26-03-2010).

Biofertilizers for organic agriculture

1. Phosphate solubilizing bacteria – Makes available 30 kg of phosphorus

to the crops per hectare per year.

– Improves crop growth by secretion of growth regulators.

– Seed treatment : Mix 250 ml with the seed needed for one acre and dry for 20 minutes under shade before

2. Shalimar Microbes:

• Consortium of different microbes like phosphate solubilizing bacteria,

actinomycete, Lactobacillus.

• Use: solid waste decomposition and

also acts as a biofertilizer.

SHALIMAR BIOFERTILIZER (Azotobacter) • Fixes 20-40 kg nitrogen from atmosphere per

hectare per year.

• Increases yield by 10 – 25%.

• Improves crop growth by secretion of growth regulators and vitamins.

• Protects crops against some soil borne pathogens.

• Seed treatment: : 250ml/acre

• Seedling root dipping : 1000ml/acre

• Field application : 400ml/acre (Mix the biofertilizer with the soil before sowing

• Suitable for crops : Wheat, oat, barley, Mustard, seasum, Linseeds, Sunflower, castor, Pearl millets, Finger millets, and floriculture plants etc.

SHALIMAR BIOFERTILIZER (Rhizobium phaseoli)

• Features: • Fixes 100 to 300 kg nitrogen per hectare

in one crop season.

• Increases yield by 10-35%.

• Improves crop growth by secretion of growth regulators.

• Protects crops against some soil borne pathogens.

• Seed treatment : 250ml/acre

• Field application : 400ml/acre (Mix the biofertilizer with the soil before sowing).

• Suitable for crops Rajmash

E-learning portal

www.starelearning.org

MIS developed for:

1. FARMMAN 1.00 Management

of Cattle and buffalo breeding

research data

2. SheepMan 1.00: Online tool

for management of sheep

research data across farms

3. SoftMate: Tool for planning

breeding programs to avoid the

inbreeding depression

New Initiative: Dairy Development – Challenge of 21st Century

Demand- High Nutritional security to 1.6 billion people by 2030 Rising purchase power Improving health conciousnes Support to Dairy Industry

Challenge for 2030 4 fold growth: 127 million tones to 550 million tones

by (300 ml to 1000 ml person / day 5 fold growth: 14 lac tons to 74 lac tones

Constraint Acute dearth of proven germplasm Feed and Fodder availability Health cover

Dairy Development: Integrating

Biotechnology and IT

e-linking of farmers cows with the hub (elite

nucleus herd) for pursuit of ONBS-MOET

Approach…..

e-registration of farmers cows for :

delivery of services and collection of feed back data

Widening of the genetic base from few hundred farm-bred cattle to 7 lac breedable cows of farmers through e-linking for planning long-term research programs for sustainable dairying

Data Warehousing to support data analysis and decision-making tasks through use of ICT.

Production of tested high performance breeding bulls through:

Open Nucleus Breeding Scheme t

E T T for fast multiplication of elite cows

GWAS for Evaluation of breeding value

Recommendations

• Strengthening of the capacity (infrastructure and human resource) in J & K to get ready for the technology driven bio-revolution

• Special program for Networking of the institutes in the three states on N-E pattern for:

– Knowledge and Resource sharing

• Faculty exchange & Student exchange

– Documentation and characterization of our bioresources

• Common e-resource of our biodiversity – validated and authentic

– Bioprospecting of our resources for

• commercially valuable genetic and biochemical resources.

• Genes for biotic and abiotic stress tolerence

Recommendation………

• Collaborative inter-institutional research programs

– MAS for accelerated improvement in field / horticulture crops / animals / fish

– MA S approach for breeding resistance in plants and animals

– Mitigating Climate change and ensuring healthy foods:

• Development of biocontrol agents for management of diseases and pests

• Development of the biofertilisers for organic agriculture