Sathguru-ABSP II Template

Introduction

In India groundnut is an important oilseed crop, cultivated on 7.5 million hectares, with an annual production of 8 million tons. More than nine million small and marginal farmers depend on this and other small oilseed crops for their livelihoods.

Oilseed crops such as groundnut are cultivated in unfavorable areas for agriculture, where farmers have limited options to grow other crops. The majority of these areas have a single crop in the year and farmers are dependent on the success of these crops for their sustenance as well as to feed their livestock. Groundnut is grown exclusively by small and marginal farmers who have witnessed erosion of their income by more than half due to the virus.

Farmers and their political representatives in affected areas have made finding a solution to TSV one of their highest agricultural priorities and are very supportive of the ABSPII initiative. This cooperative effort will provide an opportunity to commercialize the product once the technology and the product are tested and ready for use.

Partners

Cornell University - College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), USA
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (DDPSC), USA
Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, Department of Biotechnology, India
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT), India
National Bureau of Plant Genetic Research, India
Sathguru Management Consultants, India

Technology

Viruses are encapsulated by a coat protein (CP) that acts as a protective cage for the virus. It has been well documented in many plants that introduction of a specific viral coat protein can render plant resistant to the target virus. The TSV coat protein gene from the virus that occurs in India was transformed into a local variety of groundnut, essentially vaccinating it against the virus, through its own defense mechanism.

Project Status

International Crops Research Institute for Semi – Arid Crops (ICRISAT) has developed transgenic events carrying the TSVcp gene. The molecular characterization for these transgenic plants has been carried out. The developed lines have been assessed for the resistance against Peanut Stem Necrosis Virus in the greenhouse and transgenic lines in TI generations were found to be promising (both at molecular level and at glasshouse virus challenging studies). The performance of those transgenic lines needs to be evaluated through a strip trial for event selection under net house conditions in the following season i.e. Rabi 2009. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the transgenic groundnut lines (promising lines) against PSNV (Peanut Stem Necrosis Virus) / TSV (Tobacco Streak Virus) and monitor the natural gene flow within the test plots. This will form a basis for future open field trials to evaluate agronomic performance.

Expected Benefits

• High quality groundnut seed available on the market at affordable Prices.
• Reduction of crop loss due to tobacco streak virus.
• Savings in crop protection costs that might otherwise be incurred to protect from tobacco streak virus.
• Increased income and food security for small scale farmers.
• Increased ability to continue research on groundnut at ICRISAT.