India pioneers gene-edited rice varieties to improve crop resilience

India became the first country to allow farmers to cultivate rice varieties edited using CRISPR gene-editing technology in 2025.

Researchers developed two rice strains, DRR Dhan 100 and Pusa DST Rice 1, designed to reduce water use and mature faster.

DRR Dhan-1 demonstrated a yield increase of close to 20% at about 5.4 tonnes per hectare while shortening the maturation period to 130 days.