SRINAGAR: In view of the wet spell forecast from 17th of April, the experts have advised orchardists to spray fungicide before rains to avoid scab-like diseases.
Quoting experts, KNO reported that it is usually best to apply a fungicide before it rains, because rain causes leaf surfaces to be wet, a requirement for most foliar diseases, and rain may splash spores from leaf to leaf and from plant to plant.
Therefore, if one is able to coat plants with fungicides prior to a rain, the plant is better protected from disease, they said.
“Periods of wet weather are when a plant is most vulnerable to foliar disease. Fungicides, properly applied, may help to prevent or slow the initiation of disease and the spread of disease which commonly occurs during or shortly after a rain,” they added.
Dr Tariq Rasool, a senior scientist at SKUAST (Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology) said that as rains are predicted from Sunday, growers must spray fungicide before rains to avoid scab.
“Orchards where over 50 to 60 percent petals have fallen must be sprayed with any SKUAST recommended fungicide to avoid any disease in future,” he said.
Those Orchardists who have sprayed in around last week of March and apple flowers are in full, they too can go far fungicides, as research has been found it safe to spray fungicide in bloom without any effect on the fruit, he said.
He advised farmers that they must use mist spray not full speed spray so that it won’t damage the petals and fruits and mist spray must be used always and the practice of bathing the whole tree must be avoided.
“Best time for spray is morning and this is the critical stage of the scab so people must avoid mixing more pesticides and insecticides and focus on fungicide only this time,” he said.
He added that even if it rains, a few hours after spraying fungicide, it will still provide protection to the fruit and keep diseases at bay.
SRINAGAR: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K) has announced that it will be supplying potato chips making machines to farmers in Gurez. Quoting an official,KNO reported that the move comes as part of SKUAST-K’s efforts to address the marketing challenges that have been faced by the region’s potato farmers. He explained that the machines will help to create a viable market for potato production in the area. The official also noted that the Kala Zeera variety of potato grown in Gurez is fully organic, which could open up opportunities for a new market for potato chips with a zeera flavor. To further assist farmers in the area, SKUAST-K is also developing marketing techniques and partnering with packaging firms to help farmers sell their stock online. The official said it will provide much-needed support to farmers in the region, who have faced difficulties in selling their produce due to limited marketing options. “In addition to supporting potato farmers, SKUAST-K is also working to promote an integrated farming system in the region,” the official said, adding that this system optimizes farm resources by reusing waste from one enterprise as input for another. He said that the approach is not only environment friendly, but it also provides a reliable source of income for farmers by allowing them to sell eggs, mushrooms, milk, honey, and silkworm cocoons. “Overall, SKUAST-K’s efforts are set to benefit the Gurez community by providing new self-employment opportunities, boosting the local economy, and promoting sustainable farming practices,” he claimed.
SRINAGAR: Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-K) has announced that it will be supplying potato chips making machines to farmers in Gurez. Quoting an official,KNO reported that the move comes as part of SKUAST-K’s efforts to address the marketing challenges that have been faced by the region’s potato farmers. He explained that the machines will help to create a viable market for potato production in the area. The official also noted that the Kala Zeera variety of potato grown in Gurez is fully organic, which could open up opportunities for a new market for potato chips with a zeera flavor. To further assist farmers in the area, SKUAST-K is also developing marketing techniques and partnering with packaging firms to help farmers sell their stock online. The official said it will provide much-needed support to farmers in the region, who have faced difficulties in selling their produce due to limited marketing options. “In addition to supporting potato farmers, SKUAST-K is also working to promote an integrated farming system in the region,” the official said, adding that this system optimizes farm resources by reusing waste from one enterprise as input for another. He said that the approach is not only environment friendly, but it also provides a reliable source of income for farmers by allowing them to sell eggs, mushrooms, milk, honey, and silkworm cocoons. “Overall, SKUAST-K’s efforts are set to benefit the Gurez community by providing new self-employment opportunities, boosting the local economy, and promoting sustainable farming practices,” he claimed.
A junior scientist at SKUAST-K, Dr Khalid Zaffar Masoodi is an award-winning biotechnologist who has been working on cancer biology. Founder of Kashmir’s first faculty-led biotech company of Kashmir, Cashmir Biotech Pvt. Ltd, he has been working on low-cost, healthy, non-toxic, and safe designer foods to cure and prevent various disorders including cancer through futuristic functional foods. Currently, his laboratory’s research is related to the identification of anticancer molecules for prostate cancer from medicinal plants endemic to Kashmir. In a freewheeling interview with Masood Hussain, he offers his knowledge about awareness to deliver and contribute new innovations in biotechnology and research on the causes, treatment and prevention of cancer through anticancer functional foods, designer foods, and superfoods.
TheNewsCaravan (KL): The conventional wisdom is that local issues have local solutions. Can we have local solutions to local health issues as well?
Khalid Z Masoodi (KZM): There are more than 200 types of cancer throughout the world and we can classify cancers according to where they start in the body, such as breast cancer ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer etc. We can also group cancer according to the type of cell they start in and these cancers are increasing day by day worldwide. 20 per cent of these cancers are genetic in origin according to studies and 80 per cent are caused by environmental factors, food habits and lifestyle changes. These factors mutate the DNA and cause changes in normal cell growth.
For example, our bodies intake 210 mcg per day of cancer-causing hormone-disrupting chemical phthalates found in every soft and flexible plastic we use in our daily life. The beverages in the plastic bottle are injurious as these plastic containers have phthalates that bind to endocrine receptors and overexcite them resulting in malignancies.
In dark chocolates toxic metals are lurking, it is a state of serious concern as they cause cancer. Preservatives used in foods contain carcinogenic components. Every single person consumes 150 pounds or 60-88 kg of preservatives in a year. Most of the preservatives’ in vogue contain acrylamide which is carcinogenic. The most popular fast food of today’s generation is French fries, potato chips, pizza, and cold drinks in which the presence of Acrylamide and glycidamide has been found. Burgers contain Heterocyclic aromatic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Studies show HCAs and PAHs cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer. Pizza preservatives – TBHQ and BHA, has been identified as human carcinogen. 1n 2016 as we all know potassium bromate used to soften bread and in many other food items was banned in India as they were found carcinogenic during the course of research.
The estimated numbers of cancer in 2022 were 17 per cent in the case of breast cancer, 14 per cent in prostate cancer, 4.9 per cent in thyroid cancer, and lung cancer was estimated to be 14.3 per cent worldwide. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths and the primary diagnosed cancer in men. No defined therapy against prostate cancer is present. Drugs cease to function after treatment in most cases. There is a need to cure and prevent deadly diseases with a healthier approach.
We define here the concept of Designer Foods that have added health benefits. Designer foods are normal foods fortified with health-promoting ingredients. These foods are similar in appearance to normal foods and are consumed regularly as a part of the diet. These foods are safe, non-toxic, organic, are cost-effective while the drugs available are cost-extensive and unaffordable by the majority classes of society and have added off-target effects.
We believe that a smart diet containing anticancer small molecules and molecules that can treat these disorders can help prevent these disorders The changing food habits of the modern world have changed, from green food (green vegetables), and herbs, to fast food, which is the main concern. We have experimentally shown that these greens, underutilised plants have high antioxidant properties. Some of our studies found some Haakh varieties have high anticancer potential against prostate and lung cancer cells.
KL: Can you tell us about your academic journey?
KZM: I completed my schooling at Burn Hall School, Srinagar and continued further studies at AMU. I completed my BSC (Hons) in Botany from AMU and pursued MSc and PhD in Plant Biotechnology from Jammu University under the mentorship of Prof Manoj K Dhar, former VC, University of Jammu, which I completed in 2010.
KL:What were the takeaways from your PhD?
KZM: During my PhD, I worked on the reconstruction of carotenoid biosynthetic pathway genes from purple-black carrot (Daucuscarota L). We successfully engineered E Coli that produced Lycopene and beta-carotene. Besides, we increased the production of these carotenoids using the Amplification Promoting Sequence, which increased the copy number of genes and hence their transcription and translation. We also worked on anthocyanins that act as effective natural food bio-colourant and real-time indicators of food spoilage that later helped in developing a smart gel that changes colour with a change in pH and can be used in food industries, biomedical industries and agriculture industries. Synthetic food colours pose a greater threat to humans and are responsible for causing various types of cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
KL: You continued your post-doctorate in the same field or we changed the subject?
KZM: The main expertise in cancer biology was gained during my post-doctoral associateship at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. There, I simultaneously worked on many projects related to gene and drug discoveries against prostate cancer.
We found the role of many genes in prostate cancer progression like ELL2, DHX15, PABPCA, EAF2, PRP8 etc. I also helped discover new androgen receptors targeting small molecules. I also increased the efficacy of IADT, the study which came out in the Journal of Urology, Journal of Endocrinology, Oncogene, Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, and PLoS One.
After my return from the USA, I worked as a Senior Resident at SKIMS, Soura for a short time before joining the Division of Plant Biotechnology, SKUAST-Kashmir as an Assistant Professor. The takeaway for me was that cancer cells are smart and if you try to target them through inhibition of the AR pathway they will salvage their survival through the PI3Kinase pathway. In metropolitan India, prostrate is now the third diagnosed cancer.
KL: You worked on cancer and then joined SKUAST-K which is all about agriculture. Is not it an interesting twist in the story?
KZM: It is always a challenge but biotechnologists revolve around the central dogma of molecular biology so DNA, RNA and proteins are the same which makes every organism. Upon my joining SKUAST-K, I surveyed various regions of Jammu and Kashmir to utilize the rich flora for new therapeutics against cancer.
It is very important that we do translational research that can result in an end product that can be commercialized and can be more useful than a mere publication or a patent. We knew that 60 per cent of the drugs in the market are plant-based or their analogues.
A rich repertoire of around 3054 medicinal and aromatic plant species (MAPs) are endogenous to Kashmir but were not explored for anticancer properties against prostate cancer through transcriptomics and AR targeted approach earlier. In a drug discovery programme initiated at SKUAST-K funded SERB, we screened 25,000 medicinal plant extracts from Kashmir’s around 350-400 medicinal plants. It resulted in the discovery of 16 new anticancer molecules against prostate cancer. Of these 16 molecules, five were from edible underutilised plants. Our laboratory has filed eight patents in the last three years.
Dr Khalid Zaffar Masoodi (SKUAST)
KL: Is there something that you can share with us about the new molecules you discovered?
KZM: The molecule SKIDDDL-1 present in the TaxO was the best among all the edible plants, which has been consumed for ages in Kashmir as a food supplement and as a vegetable. Over time, however, its use has diminished. This molecule effectively targeted androgen receptors in prostate cancer and decreased cellular progression, cancer cell migration (metastasis) in vitro and reduced tumour volume, and doubled the life expectancy in the mice xenograft model. A smart diet may help reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, slow the progression of the disease, and prevent invasiveness and metastasis.
Awaiting a patent, we designed Magic Foods – a range of safe, non-toxic, plant-based anti-prostate cancer futuristic functional foods fortified with our secret TaxO that can be consumed on daily basis by populations worldwide that are at high risk of getting this peculiar cancer. The technology is cheap, safe and has no side effects.
Since SKUAST-K is the first Farm University to implement NEP 2020, now the faculty is permitted to have a start-up. I was joined by my two MSc students as directors of the faculty-led start-up. They are still studying but are job providers at the same time.
When we were doing this research, we had a great visitor from the University of Buffalo, Prof Samina Raja. We thought we can give something better to humanity if we worked together. So we have one collaborative project Haakh.
I am glad to share that soon you will have an anticancer Haakh variety. We are in the final stages of assessment and experimentation and after a thorough study of about 70 different variants of haakh we found some variants that have good activity against lung and prostate cancer.
The American University provided us with a small grant which we utilised in DNA bar-coding our Haakh, which can be accessed through GenBank. SERB, DST, Government of India has been kind enough and given me three successive grants without which what we did would not have been possible. My NC has always been my great support.
KL: Kashmir is India’s main apple basket. Have you worked on apple scab?
KZM: For Kashmir, agriculture is the backbone, especially the apple. The scab results in almost 30-40 per cent loss in apple. To prevent it we use around Rs 325 crore worth of fungicides which eventually go into our bodies through water and food. That is why people living around apple orchards have a higher incidence of endocrine-related issues.
We have worked on biotechnological approaches to scab pathogens in which we have identified new genes that can be used for producing cisgenic apples for scab resistance. This study was also published in one of the reputed high-impact journals. We used comparative transcriptome technology (RNA-Seq) for research that showed some genes expressed in the Maharaji apple and wild-type genotypes like Florina are not expressed in red delicious, so these genes can be transferred into red delicious to make the variety scab resistant. The process of producing cisgenic apples and breeding both techniques is underway.
KL:You have also identified some new wilt-causing pathogens. Tell us something about this.
KZM: One of my PhD scholars, Dr Tasmeen Parihar has identified six new Fusarium spp infecting solanaceous crops that were not earlier known to cause wilt in chilli, brinjal, tomato and capsicum. These findings came out recently in reputed journals.
We have many scientists in collaboration within and outside institutes. I am lucky to have good collaborations with Dr Zahoor A Bhat (Plant Pathology), Dr Khalid Bhat (Fruit Science), Dr Khursheed (Vegetable Sciences), Prof Mudasir Andrabi (Animal Biotechnology), Dr Tawheed Amin (FST) and many more.
KL: There is a major ethical debate regarding biotechnology, especially GM foods.
KZM: In biotechnology, we always have to face challenges related to transgenic plants but the fact is that in the near future (2050) breeding techniques will not be able to fulfil the need of the growing population. We will have to move towards biotechnology to feed the growing population of around 10 billion.
CRISP-Cas technology will enable us to knock out the antibiotic genes used in transgenic progress and we will have transgenic plants with only the gene of interest and not these antibiotic-resistant genes. Besides, we also use recombinant-based excision repair to make Cisgenic Apple. Since this research is going on we will have soon some good results.
Genome editing in livestock has the potential to bring about significant improvements in productivity, health, and welfare, but there are still challenges that need to be addressed.
A SKUAST-K scientist at work
The livestock industry is facing a growing demand for animal-based foods to feed the increasing human population. This forces a need for a more sustainable approach to livestock production that considers factors such as climate change, deforestation, and conservation of biodiversity, as well as ensuring animal health and welfare. The traditional approach to increasing livestock production has been to increase the amount of land used for feeding animals, but this no longer stands feasible due to limited space for grazing land on the planet.
The twenty-first century’s cutting-edge technologies, such as gene editing, can thus be harnessed to transform the livestock industry towards efficient and safe food animal production systems.
Genome editing technology is a set of tools that precisely modifies an organism’s genetic components. There are four major types of genome editing technologies used by molecular biology scientists: Mega nucleases, Zinc Finger Nucleases (ZFNs), Transcription Activator-Like Effector Nucleases (TALENs), and Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR). All these technologies work by cutting the DNA at specific places which then triggers a repair mechanism. The repair process can either rejoin the broken ends of the DNA without the use of a template or with the help of a DNA template, which allows for the introduction of new sequences within the normal genes of the organism.
Amongst these four, CRISPR-based one is the most widely used genome editing tool due to its simplicity, efficiency, and low cost. However, the application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology in livestock (sheep, goat, cattle, and buffalo) requires advanced reproductive technologies for the delivery of editing components into reproductive cells or zygotes.
For effective gene editing, currently, the most common techniques are Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) and zygote microinjection, but these methods are technically challenging, labour-intensive, and costly, limiting their use to only a few specialized laboratories.
Gene Editing
Genome editing technology has been applied in various areas of livestock production, including breeding disease-resistant animals, improving animal performance, altering milk composition, and producing hornless animals etc. Besides, CRISPR is often used for gene knockouts in medical research and therapeutic purposes. The traditional methods of livestock breeding have limitations, such as a long breeding cycle and a limited pool of genetic resources, making it difficult to improve livestock through conventional genetics. With genome editing technology, it is possible to make precise and heritable changes to the genome of diverse livestock species, leading to improved productivity, fertility, sustainability, and animal welfare.
To realise the full potential of genome editing technology in the livestock industry, it is necessary to develop strategies to translate established genome editing protocols into livestock breeding systems. The advanced reproductive technologies make it possible to apply genome editing on-farm, with minimal infrastructure and moderate cost. However, there is still a need for further research and development to ensure that the technology can be efficiently applied at scale. In conclusion, genome editing technology offers a powerful tool for improving the livestock industry, and its application has the potential to enhance productivity and profitability in livestock production.
Applications and Prospects
CRISPR is a cutting-edge gene editing technology that is rapidly gaining popularity in the livestock industry. Compared to traditional gene editings methods like ZFNs and TALENs, CRISPR is more precise and effective in modifying the genomes of livestock species. In the coming years, it is expected that CRISPR-based gene editing will be widely used in livestock breeding.
One of the primary applications of genome editing in livestock is to improve the productivity of livestock species. This can be achieved through the introduction of new traits, such as increased growth rate, improved feed conversion efficiency, and increased meat yield.
For example, researchers have used genome editing to introduce a growth hormone gene into chickens, resulting in birds that grow faster and produce more meat.
Similarly, genetic modifications have been made to pigs that improve the efficiency with which they convert feed into meat, resulting in higher meat yields per kilogram of feed. Knocking out the myostatin gene in cattle and sheep can lead to a double-muscling phenotype, resulting in superior meat production and this has been demonstrated by generating double-muscled mice who had their myostatin gene knocked out.
CRISPR can also be used to modify specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that impact economically important traits in livestock, such as reproductive performance. CRISPR can also be used to improve the nutritional content of milk produced by livestock. For example, knocking out the caprine beta-lactoglobulin gene in goats and introducing human lactoferrin (hlf) leads to reduced levels of beta-lactoglobulin in milk, and an increase in human lactoferrin.
CRISPR in livestock is being widely investigated for the creation of animals that are resistant to various diseases. For example, pigs that are resistant to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) can be produced by knocking out the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich receptor (CD163) gene. This leads to reduced economic costs and improved profitability of pig production, as well as reduced bio-security risks.
Cattle can also be made resistant to Mycobacterium bovis infection through genome editing, which causes significant economic losses and also poses a threat to human health. In cattle again genome editing has been used to develop cattle that are resistant to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), a neurodegenerative disorder commonly referred to as mad cow disease. Likewise, CRISPR can be used to produce cattle that are resistant to Pasteurellosis, a respiratory disease caused by the bacterium Pasteurella hameolytica.
CRISPR-edited livestock are also relevant in biomedicine. For example, pigs can be edited to knock out certain genes, such as alpha-1, and 3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1), to make them suitable for organ transplantation. Similarly, CRISPR can be used to generate livestock models for various human diseases, such as cardiovascular ailments, muscular dystrophy, and others. By knocking out the MHC system in pigs, CRISPR can also make them universal donors for organ xeno-transplantation.
Animal welfare is another important application of CRISPR in livestock breeding. Traditional methods of removing cattle horns can be painful and are not conducive to animal welfare. CRISPR-based gene editing offers a viable alternative by producing horn-free Holstein cattle.
Another application of genome editing in livestock is to improve their health, resistance to diseases and welfare. This can be achieved through the introduction of resistance genes, such as those that protect against specific viruses or bacteria, or through the elimination of genetic mutations that cause diseases. Animal welfare for example can be realized by genetic modifications to reduce the horns of cattle, reduce the need for painful dehorning procedures and reduce the risk of injury to both cattle and handlers.
Genome editing can also have a positive impact on the environment. By improving the efficiency with which livestock convert feed into meat, the demand for feed can be reduced, reducing the pressure on land used for crops and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock.
Shortcomings
Regulation and Public Acceptance: The regulation and public acceptance of genome editing in livestock is still a challenge, as there are concerns about the safety and ethics of genetic modifications. There is resistance from consumers and regulatory bodies, and the regulatory environment for genome editing is still evolving, with different countries having different approaches to the technology.
Technical Challenges: The technical challenges associated with genome editing are another limitation, as the technology is still developing and has limitations in terms of precision and efficiency. The risk of unintended off-target effects and the difficulty of controlling the expression of edited genes are also challenges that need to be addressed.
Cost: The cost of genome editing is another limitation, as the technology is still relatively new and the cost of editing genes is high. The cost of commercializing genome-edited animals and bringing them to market is also high, which limits the ability of small farmers and start-ups to participate in this field.
‘We Are Nearly Successful In Creating Gene-edited, Cloned Embryos of High Yeilding Pashmina Goats’
Ethical Considerations: The ethical considerations associated with genome editing in livestock are also a challenge. There are concerns about the potential impact of edited genes on the environment and other species, as well as the potential for the creation of genetically modified organisms that could pose a threat to biodiversity.
While regulatory agencies may consider banning the production of such animals, this may be challenging to enforce due to the widespread availability of the technology. Instead of banning, it would be more effective to establish a registry of genome-edited livestock and monitor their reproduction and consumption through oversight mechanisms. This will help to identify any potential off-target mutations that may occur with the use of genome editing technology. Additionally, investment in public education to increase awareness of the risks and benefits of genome-edited livestock is crucial to ensure the responsible use of this technology.
In conclusion, genome editing in livestock has the potential to bring about significant improvements in productivity, health, and welfare, but there are still challenges that need to be addressed. The regulation and public acceptance of the technology, the technical difficulties associated with editing genes, the cost, and the ethical considerations are all those factors that need to be considered as the field of genome editing continues to develop.
(Prominent Kashmir scientist, Prof Riyaz A Shah is the Chief Scientist at Animal Cloning and Transgenic Laboratory, Division of Animal Biotechnology, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences SKUAST-Kashmir. To his credit is the first live cloned buffalo, the first ever animal cloned ever, in India.)
Working in SKUAST-K’s potato laboratory, a scholar was desperate for the MS media, a key ingredient for tissue culture but the lab lacked funds. It took her 28 months to discover a cheap alternative that is abundantly around the campus and it fetched her a prestigious grant to set up a unit for its production, reportsIfra Reshi
Sameena Lone, the young Kashmir scholar, who bagged a Rs 50 lakh grant from the respected BIRAC for her ground-breaking innovation, intends to change the way people look at the mounds of weeds that are perennially extracted from Dal Lake. She will be converting the weeds into a cheap medium for popularizing tissue culture.
A resident of Nishat Brein, Sameena, the daughter of a forest range officer, is a vegetable science scholar currently pursuing her PhD at SKAUST. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s in horticulture from SKAUST and her work on potato tissue culture started during her MSc. Working with her mentor, Dr Khursheed Hussain at the Potato Tissue Culture Laboratory, she recognized the high cost of nutrient media used in the cultivation of tissue cell culture.
“During the learning process, once we fell short of the Murashige and Skoog (MS) media that we were using in potato tissue culture, I posted my mentor. He said the laboratory can’t buy media for lack of funds,” Lone said while recalling the first time she felt the necessity for looking at the alternatives. “My mentor told me he was also looking for alternatives as he faced the same problem at his own end.”
It pushed the team on a hunt for an affordable, organic nutrient medium that would allow farmers to conduct tissue culture on their own, generating disease-free plantlets with lower pesticide loads.
After 28 months, “in a whistle-blow phenomenon, Coontail media came to the limelight”. After three years of research and standardization, she discovered that part of the weeds in Dal Lake are hugely nutrient-rich and can be used to create ideas for tissue culture. The success led her team to patent the idea and the associated processes. The idea was found to enable potato farmers to have affordable, organic potato tissue culture media, which not only reduces costs but also produces healthier, and disease-free potatoes.
This became one of its kind and the first Organic Tissue Culture Media to be used for the mass multiplication of high-quality, disease-free, and organic planting material of potato. Its success led Sameena to set up her own start-up, Kashmeer Organo Greens Private Limited with her mentor as co-founder. The unit currently operates from SKUAST-K’s Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (SKIIE) Centre.
= Having an idea and floating a start-up does not make a successful enterprise because it requires resources. Sameena’s Eureka moment in 2018, however, lacked an environment in which capital and resources could be even discussed. There was no concept start-ups, the way it is mainstream right now.
Things started changing fast as the team started talking about the idea. Almost in every competition of newer ideas, Sameena’s MS media was taken seriously.
The idea won the first prize in an Innovative Idea Presentation Competition organized by Maharaja Ranjit Singh College of Professional Sciences, Indore (MP), on the 36th National Science Day in 2022.
Back home, the idea got selected for seed funding from the JK Department of Science and Technology and IC.
Again, the idea also won first prize in Innovation Business Competition during the National Innovation Workshop held at Jammu on December 1, 2022, organized by GCET Jammu in association with IIT Kharagpur and the World Consortium of University held at Jammu.
Then came the final surprise when the idea, Organic and Disease-Free Seed Potato Production through Tissue Culture in Kashmir, bagged a prestigious grant from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Not-for-Profit Company’ of the Government of India, which supports technology innovators and entrepreneurs to pursue a promising technology and establish and validate proof of concept (POC) for the idea under the BIG grant scheme. It is a Rs 50 lakh grant.
Sameena Lone, SKUAST-K PhD scholar, discovered a cheap alternative to MS media required in potato tissue culture. The media is being produced from locally available weeds, abundantly growing in Dal lake. The patented idea fetched her a Rs 50 grant to set up a start-up for producing tissue culture media. KL Image: Shuaib Wani
The grant is a very competitive one. More than 500 innovators had applied for the grant and only 26 were selected for the final pitching round before the panel. Eventually, only nine innovators were selected. “I was the only one from Jammu and Kashmir to receive the BIRAC BIG grant in the present round,” Sameena said.
“This has helped me realise my dream of doing something creative and something that was not done before,” a confidant Lone said. “Still, a lot of work is to be done.”
The grant is a staggered process that will release funds coinciding with the completion of the project within two years. There are key milestones in the implementation of the project, which are linked with the release of funds. The next step for this project includes product development at a commercial scale, demonstration trials, marketing at cost, and conducting awareness campaigns to educate people about the benefits of organic and healthy vegetables.
The unit is starting with four employees and the numbers will go up as per the demand. Anticipated to require almost four tons of weeds a year, the project will fetch Kashmir a reliable tuber for growing organic and disease-free potatoes. Estimates suggest, Kashmir grows 4500 tons of potato a year but the consumption is much more. Sameena’s innovation can help growers use the MS media and pick the tissue culture skill for better production at home.
Sameena and her scholar colleagues along with their mentors are working on developing anti-diabetic carrots in the SKUAST-Ks plant biotechnology department.
byProf Abdul Majeed Ganai and Dr Parvaiz Ahmed Reshi
SRINAGAR: Kashmir valley is set to have its own research-based animal feed supplement in order to meet the mineral needs of livestock.
A group of herdsmen with sheep, milk storage and other accessories. An undated photograph from British archives.
Named KashMin, the supplement feed would meet the different geo-climatic conditions in the region which are different from the rest of the country.
The KashMin’s coming in is going to help the livestock farmers immensely as it will assist them in raising animals profitably by ensuring that they produce the best possible milk, meat, and fertility.
The KashMin is an outcome of the 10-year odd investigations on the mineral profile of soil, grasses, and feeds by faculty innovators from the Division of Animal Nutrition of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology-Kashmir (SKAUST-K)
The KashMin was conceived under the SKUAST-Kashmir’s slogan, Knowledge-based technology driven agri-economy, which was coined under incumbent Vice Chancellor Prof Nazir Ahmad Ganai and Head Animal Nutrition Division Prof Abdul Majeed Ganai.
The KashMin being in a more absorbable (chelated) form has all the required mineral elements, which will arrest poor production and poor reproductive performance, which otherwise goes unnoticed causing poor health, production, reproduction and body condition of animals.
What is KashMin?
KashMin is a research-based product and a faculty startup incubated at Sher-E-Kashmir Institute of Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship Centre (SKIIE) of SKUAST-Kashmir containing specifically the mineral elements deficient in locally grown fodders, grasses and other feed ingredients in proper proportions with the aim to boost milk, meat production and animal fertility that largely depends upon the proper mineral supplementation.
Why KashMin?
Geographically Kashmir is different from the rest of the country so is its soil type, vegetation and mineral composition. The grasses, fodders, straws and agro-industrial byproducts available from such soils are therefore having a different composition of these micronutrients (minerals). The different species of herbivores (cattle, sheep, goats and other herbivorous animals) grazing and feeding upon such grasses are having specific deficiencies of minerals that can be corrected by supplementation of the deficient minerals only. So alternatively it can be safely stated that there is a Soil-Plant-Animal inter-relationship of minerals.
Dairy cows
Division of Animal Nutrition of SKUAST-Kashmir initiated the work of studying the mineral profile of soil, feed/fodder and animals in the year 2008 and have to date prepared different mineral premixes on district levels. The present formulation KashMin (A mixture of different mineral elements that specifically corrects the mineral deficiencies of Kashmir Livestock) will cover the whole region of Kashmir valley. Formulation of the region-specific product partially fulfils the commitment of SKUAST-Kashmir to serve the needs of the hill and temperate agriculture and ensure better production from animal rearing and the progression of our farming community.
How KashMin is different?
Other popular brands of mineral supplements present in the market are manufactured for the whole of the country covering all species of animals and birds predominantly serving other parts of the country (tropical region) having different soil, feed and fodder composition with respect to minerals. KashMin on the other hand is a species-specific and region-specific product formulated keeping in consideration the specific needs of animals of this temperate region based on the mineral profile of the locally grown grasses, feed ingredients and fodders. To start with KashMin for cattle is being launched and KashMin for sheep and goats will follow.
Will KashMin be Costlier?
No, one of the important aims of the present programme is to offer a product that is comparatively affordable to farmers, therefore it will cost almost half of the available popular brands of mineral supplements in the market without compromising on the quality of the product. There will be direct selling of KashMin from manufacturer to end users; therefore it will cost lower with quality assurances.
Where from to get KashMin?
While the product is expected to be formally launched on the Kissan Mela being observed by SKUAST-Kashmir in the first week of March 2023, the KashMin will be made available from district KVKs and some identified veterinary medicine outlets in the first phase.
(Prof Abdul Majeed Ganai is Head, the Division of Animal Nutrition and Dr Parvaiz Ahmed Reshi is Assistant Professor (Animal Nutrition) at Mountain Livestock Research Institute at Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology-Kashmir. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of TheNewsCaravan.)
Since 1997 when the first cloned mammal was born in Europe, there have been many abortive bids to use the technology in India. It was only in 2009, when Kashmir scientist, Dr Riyaz A Shah’s specially designed technique led to two cloned buffaloes in NDRI Karnal. Back home, after his PhD, he gave Kashmir the first cloned Pashmina goat, Noori, who is already a granny. In a detailed interview with Masood Hussain, Dr Riyaz explains his challenges and successes and his current research focus at SKUAST-K
TheNewsCaravan (KL): What is cloning and what are its applications?
DR RIYAZ AHMAD SHAH (DRAS): In normal conditions, animal breeding takes place by sexual reproduction, in which males and females physically get together to reproduce. However, cloning is an assisted reproductive technology, where the cells of either a male or female animal are taken and developed in laboratory conditions until an embryo is formed. It is then implanted in a surrogate mother. The offspring is born after it completes its gestation period. The process is efficient as it allows farmers to increase the number of their herds by providing more copies of the best-quality breed in the herd. In 1997, the world witnessed its first cloned mammal in the form of a sheep called Dolly, a female Finnish Dorset sheep cloned from an adult somatic cell
KL: Before we talk about your contributions to cloning, kindly tell us about your learning curve and the entire journey from your schools to SKUAST-K.
DRAS: I was born and raised in Batmaloo Srinagar. I did my early schooling at a local school and then joined Tyndale Biscoe for further studies. I aspired to be a doctor but couldn’t crack the entrance test; so, I ended up in veterinary science. I graduated from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST). Owing to a good number of vacancies in the field, I got a job immediately after completing my degree. However, the thirst for learning more and being mentored by professors who had completed their studies from other states inspired me to go for further studies outside Kashmir. I cracked the prestigious national veterinary entrance test and was post-graduated from Indian Veterinary Research Institute Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
I came back to Kashmir and worked in the Department of Animal Husbandry for some years. In 1998, I joined SKUAST as an Assistant Professor. Initially, I was posted at Cattle Farm in Manasbal, Ganderbal. It proved to be a good learning experience. In 2005, I got admission as an in-service PhD candidate at National Dairy Research Institute. There, I came across a group who were working on cloning at that time. Interested, I joined them. The group had been working on a project of cloning buffalo. The group was struggling to form a cloned embryo since 1997 but could not succeed. I took the challenge and my PhD guide Dr S K Singla encouraged me for it. It took me nearly two years to standardize various techniques related to cloning but I succeeded.
KL: What were the major takeaways of your PhD programme?
DRAS: The topic of my research was the production of handmade cloned embryos in buffalos. The embryo formed in the laboratory was transferred to a surrogate mother. It was sheer luck that I got the best quality cloned embryos. After completing the gestation period, a healthy buffalo was born on February 6, 2009, at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), Karnal. It was named Samrupa, the world’s first cloned buffalo calf. It made headlines throughout the world. I did not anticipate such a positive outcome. The calf, however, succumbed to lung infection a few days after it was born.
It was followed by another healthy and normal cloned calf named Garima, born on June 6, 2009.
KL: How many scientists were successful in the process of cloning development before you?
DRAS: My guide, Dr SK Singla, already had his PhD in clone generation under his credit but he remained unsuccessful in the formation of a live and healthy cloned progeny. During the course of my research, two other students were working on the same topic. However, they failed to get any positive results. Samrupa was the first live birth of a cloned buffalo at the institute and proved to be a milestone. Since then the institute has produced 20-25 cloned buffalos. The process involved in Samrupa and Garima acted as a road map for the researchers, who are now merging it with the science of gene editing to incorporate the selective qualities in the cloned organisms.
KL: When you were back home, you cloned Noori, the first Pashmina goat in March 2012?
DRAS: After I finished my PhD and returned to SKUAST, we started working on the Pashmina goat clone. We had to first set up facilities here at the SKUAST campus in Shuhama because we lacked the infrastructure. With project funding of Rs 2.50 crore from the Indian Council for Research (ICR), we were able to acquire basic equipment for our research.
Our objective was to develop a cloned embryo, implant it into a female and get a viable cloned organism. Noori was one of the clones. While earlier researchers had tried to develop clones of various species but Pashmina goat was never experimented on. So, we had to start from scratch. We isolated and cultured the cells of the Pashmina goat. We conducted a study on the different species that can provide oocytes. We had to employ the Pashmina goat’s somatic cells and an egg from a different species.
Since people do not prefer goat meat in Kashmir, we had to get access to the ovaries of goats from a slaughterhouse in Delhi. This made the process a bit hectic and it took us two years to standardize the techniques. However, we got successful in the development of cloned embryos, which were then implanted into a surrogate mother. After 20-25 unsuccessful trials, Noori was our first live cloned Pashmina goat. Noori is currently living a normal and healthy life. It has given birth to 5-6 offspring via the natural reproductive process. Noori has also been a source of Pashmina wool like other naturally produced Pashmina goats.
Dr Riyaz A Shah (SKUAST-K)
KL: What are the differences between naturally reproduced organisms and cloned ones?
DRAS: A clone is genetically as good as a naturally bred organism. Cloning allows choosing the characters and traits we want in an organism, thus allowing farmers to increase the overall quality of their breed. Cloning also enables the production of the desired gender of a species. Farmers for example prefer a cow over a bull, cloning helps them have as many cows as they desire.
KL: How different is Noori from her mother and her own offspring?
DRAS: Noori’s mother was a naturally bred Pashmina goat. Its embryo was implanted in a surrogate mother, who also happened to have naturally reproduced. After Noori’s birth, we studied its physiology and other parameters and found it and its progeny as good as any other Pashmina goat. We concluded that it can be used for the same purposes as we do use a normal goat. Also, there is no restriction on it or its progeny being used as food.
KL: What has been your research focus since you completed the landmark Noori’s project?
DRAS: After Noori’s success, we approached various institutes for funding our projects. We got successful and secured a project, where we introduced gene editing in cloning. We tried to incorporate CRISPR-Cas9, a naturally occurring genome editing system in our research. We identified the gene responsible for Pashmina production in Noori and now we are trying to edit the gene so that the cloned progeny will be a source of good quality and improved quantity of Pashmina. We are nearly successful in creating gene-edited and cloned embryos. We are hopeful that we will soon be able to witness its progeny as well.
Simultaneously we are working on gene editing in sheep, where our focus is to increase meat production. This is a collaborative project with ICR, while scientists outside with the same objective are working on buffaloes; we are at the same time working on sheep.
KL: What ethical issues do genetically modified organisms (GMOs) face?
DRAS: One of the main ethical issues that GMOs face is their uncontrolled use. Many countries have allowed using GMOs as food. But yes scientists first have to make sure that gene editing does not lead to any abnormality in the organism.
Kashmir folklore has always talked about Kruhun Sheen, the black snow, as a mark of disbelief and a complete topsy-turvy of natural systems. The fact is there has been black snow around for the last half of the century in Kashmir. The soot that the industrial states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi have been generating would fly and deposit over the glaciers in south Kashmir. Over the years it has been the major factor in the depletion of the glaciers and a key indicator of the climate change impact. Kashmir’s weather systems have historically remained impacted by the Western Disturbances in which the winds bring all the pollution from the Middle East and parts of Europe and pour it over Kashmir. The latest report is that last week the snow was seen as dusty and yellowish. The weatherman in Srinagar, now having access to better technology, said that it was the impact of dust that flew from Afghanistan and Pakistan and got missed with snow! Kashmir is becoming a casualty of real, virtual and climatic globalisation.
Of the sanctioned 3140 border bunkers in Rajouri, 2782 are almost ready for use.
REASI
In a game-changing development, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) revealed that it has discovered 6.9 million tons of lithium reserves in the Reasi mountains near Salal Haimana village. This reserve will fundamentally shift the global ranking of Lithium-rich countries with India now emerging from nowhere to the second position after Chile. The gold of the IT-driven system, Lithium is the powerhouse linked to almost everything from a pacemaker to a cell phone and to an electric car. This is expected to boost the IT-manufacturing investments in India that have already started with Apple setting up a huge phone-making facility in India. How the discovery will help Jammu and Kashmir shall remain a question for the future when the formal process of extracting the vital mineral starts. Right now Australia is the major Lithium supplier to the world.
Against the sanctioned strength of 4985 village defence groups (VDG), 4,153 have been constituted.
KUPWARA
In Kashmir’s harsh winters, Asphyxia has remained a major killer. Desperate to stay warm, people pluck every hole in the room and put on heating devices that deplete oxygen and the people die. That is exactly what happened to the UP family in Krakpora village. Five members of Majid Ansari’s family were declared dead last week when they were driven to the hospital. It was the annihilation of the Bijnore family including the husband, wife and their three children, including the youngest member who was born recently and was yet to be named.
In Jammu and Kashmir, the number of drug abusers includes Cannabis 1,36,000, Opioids 4,47,000, Cocaine 1,000 and 1000 Amphetamines type stimulants. Jammu and Kashmir witnessed the registration of 743 drug peddling cases in 2017, 680 in 2018, 918 in 2019, 933 in 2020 and 1324 in 2021.
ANANTNAG
Eleventh grader, Hanaya Nisar was conferred with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) 2023 for winning a gold medal at the third World SQAY Martial Arts Championship held in Chingju, South Korea in October 2018. It is India’s highest civilian honour for children.
Two civilians and 25 security personnel were killed in militant attacks across Jammu since August 5, 2019.
JAMMU
LG, Manoj Sinha presented a piece of Basholi Panting to visiting Prime Minister on April 24, 2022, at Samba.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Jammu has authorised a programme for the Geographical Indication (GI) certification of nine items from erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state for submission to the Human Welfare Association in Varanasi. These items being submitted for GI include Basohli Paintings, Basholi Pashmina Woolen Products (Kathua), Chikri Wood Craft (Rajouri), Bhaderwah Rajma (Doda), Mushkbudji Rice (Anantnag), Kaladi (Udhampur), Sulai Honey, Anardana (Ramban), and Ladakh Wood Carving(Ladakh).
2022 saw 111 anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir in which 187 militants were killed.
JAMMU
CBI
Federal investigator CBI detained a lecturer at the Government Polytechnic College in Jammu and the Chief Accounts Officer (KAS) of the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation in connection with Rs. 2.3 lakh bribery. CBI said the lecturer was being used by the accounts officer for extracting money from a person whose payment bill was with the officer. The arrest was an outcome of the trap.
Two girls were rescued alive in an avalanche that hit Manzgund village of Gurez
PATTAN
Rivalries within professionals can sometimes be interestingly intriguing. In a Pattan hospital when a junior doctor was busy carrying out the surgery, the senior got into the theatre and allegedly abused him. This stunned the staff and almost put the patient at risk. The reason: the senior did not want any procedure to take place without his knowledge. What is right and wrong will be decided by an investigation ordered by CMO, Baramula. Meanwhile, authorities have banned two doctors from doing any private practice across Jammu and Kashmir. The two doctors, Dr Zafarullah, Assistant Professor (ENT) and Dr Shafaqat Ahmad Lone, Associate Professor (ENT) of Government Medical College Baramulla were accused of referring patients from Government hospitals to Private Hospitals for availing treatment under AB PM-JAY and AB PM-JAY SEHAT Scheme.
The cost of the Haj package in 2023 is expected to be about Rs 50,000 less in comparison to 2022.
JAMMU
Non-irrigated land at Vilgam. KL Image
Jammu and Kashmir’s administration has banned the sale of agricultural land belonging to individuals who are missing for the last seven years. This was done on basis of the police enquiry that suggested the use of these incomes into subversion. Now revenue officials will have to declare a landowner not present and not in occupation on formal records. People holding their immovable properties will have also to be mentioned and will continue to harvest these lands. No revenue papers in these lands can be issued by the revenue officials to prevent their sale. Though the orders will not be applicable to the immovable property of people who have migrated, the order is silent about tens of thousands of people – mostly professionals, who are working overseas and are technically not present.
Of 33,426 Gazetted and Non-Gazetted positions in Jammu and Kashmir government, Lok Sabha was informed that 25450 vacancies stand filled by December 2022.
LONDON
A review into the British government’s scheme set up to prevent terrorism has flagged the radicalisation of UK Muslims over Kashmir and “potentially toxic” pro-Khalistan extremism as some of the areas of growing concern and made recommendations for improvements to tackle Islamist extremism as the “primary threat” to the country, reports in media said. The report said Pakistan is impacting UK Muslim communities when it comes to “inflaming anti-India sentiment, particularly around the subject of Kashmir”. Commissioner for Public Appointments William Shawcross presided over the review.
DELHI
In a veiled jibe at Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled his Ekta Yatra in 1991 that concluded with the tricolour unfurling in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk at the peak of militant threat. “Those who came back from Jammu and Kashmir recently must have seen how easily you can go there. I too had gone on a yatra to J&K with the resolve to unfurl the Tricolour at Lal Chowk,” Modi said. “Terrorists had put up posters and said, dekhte hain, kisne maa ka doodh piya hai jo Lal Chowk aake Tiranga phehra paaye. That day on January 24, at a public rally, I had said, ‘terrorists pay heed. On January 26, sharp at 11 am, I will reach Lal Chowk without security and a bulletproof jacket. Faisla Lal Chowk pe hoga kisne apni maa ka doodh piya hai’. Then I unfurled the Tricolour at Lal Chowk.” Modi said Kashmir has changed after the reading down of Article 370 and tourism is on a historic rise. He said theatres are also running houseful in Kashmir and separatists are nowhere to be seen now.
SRINAGAR
It was an interesting happening. A traffic cop intercepted a car near Tagore Hall and fined him Rs 2000 for some violation of the rules. Infuriated, the “victim” promised a response. Within an hour, he returned to the spot with his bulldozer – he was an SMC driver handling a bulldozer for removing encroachments and dismantling a booth from which the traffic cops were operating. These booths are technically encroachments but practically these are important spots for the cops. This triggered a mess and after a lot of controversies, the police registered a case and arrested three SMC officials who were later bailed out by the court.
SRINAGAR
SKUAST-K’s 15 students have secured Innovation Grant Funding Support as seed money from Jammu and Kashmir Science, Technology and Innovation Council. They are mentored by the university’s Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (SKIIE) Centre and Team IDP. They will use the grants for validating the proof of concept and turning their ideas into viable marketable products.
MUMBAI
Bollywood flick, Pathaan poster showing the lead actors including Shahrukh Khan, John Ibrahim and Deepika Padukone
Effectively and surely, the tinsel town is reviving its Kashmir love story. At a time when Shah Rukh Khan’s flick Pathaan is ruling the box office, Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan are in Kashmir. They are shooting Fighter. Directed by Siddharth Anand Fighter also involves other actors including Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, and Akshay Oberoi for decisive roles. The movie is planned to hit the theatres on January 25, 2024. In Kashmir, the actors will be seen in and around Dal Lake and Pahalgam to capture some action arrays and scenes of a song. The movie Fighter is anticipated to be India’s foremost aerial action franchise which will enact and display the bravery, slaughter, and patriotic sentiments of the Indian Army. Now Karan Johar is flying Alia Bhat to Srinagar – cancelling Switzerland, for shooting Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.
SRINAGAR
Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi Reviews Security Situation In Kashmir
Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, the Northern Command chief said they are ready to give a befitting response to any Chinese aggression in Ladakh. Addressing the Northern Command Investiture Ceremony, the General said that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has brought forth many lessons such as the employment of disruptive and dual-use technologies. “On the LAC, our response to Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo was a swift, undaunted and synergised action by the Indian Armed Forces. Any adverse aggressive designs or attempts will definitely be met with appropriate posturing of Forces and a strong intent with complete synergy among the three services,” he said. “I assure you that the LAC in Eastern Ladakh is being dominated by physical patrolling and through technical means and our territorial integrity is being ensured.”
