THIS is the variety of rice without which
biryani, the royal gastronomical delight,
would not feature so prominantly in the
history pages on Mughal influence in
India. Aromatic, long-grained, nonsticky
are the words that describe it. It is
the Basmati.
India grows 1.6 million tonnes
annually. Two-thirds is exported every
year. India claims its traditional knowledge
of the climate, the soil and the crop
has helped develop such superior variety.
So does Pakistan. The two countries
are fighting for a geographical indication
(GI) status for Basmati rice. India
has reduced the minimum export price
because Pakistan is exporting at even
lower prices. But for an average Indian
household it is still expensive. Bought at
a price of Rs 75 per kg it is reserved for
special occasions.
While a GI registration for Basmati
rice is pending, the Indian pride
received a jolt because the gene responsible
for the fragrance did not originate
from the Indian variety of rice.
There are 100 volatile compounds
responsible for fragrance in rice. The
most important is one known as 2-
acetyl-1-pyrroline, found in the Basmati
and Jasmine (Thai) variety. Studies have
shown that a BADH2 gene codes for this
aromatic compound. Scientists from the
Cornell University, New York and
International Rice Research Institute,
Philippines decided to trace the origin
of this fragrance.
There are two main varieties:
Japonica (first domesticated
in Southern
China) and Indica
(domesticated in South
Asia). Both belong to
the Oryza sativa group.
While Japonica is the
sticky short-grained
variety, Indica is the
non sticky long-grained
variety. The team
sequenced the gene
from 242 different rice varieties. The
gene's dominant variant (badh2.1) that
codes for the fragrance is found in both
Japonica and Indica varieties. The study
published in the August edition of the
Proceeding of the National Academy of
Science concluded that the variant originated
from the Japonica variety. The
study also explains that the gene entered
the Indica variety through chance crossbreeding
between the different varieties.
Although the study has traced the
origin of the gene, it does not say anything
on the origin of Basmati rice. "The
study just gives a clue to begin with but
it does not conclude that the Japonica
variety is the parent Basmati variety,"
said K V Prabhu, head of the genetics
department at the Indian Agricultural
Research Institute, Delhi.
Besides, the Indian variety of
Basmati rice is not the pure Indica variety.
U S Singh, the South Asia regional
project coordinator of International
Rice Research Institute explained that
Basmati lies somewhere between the
Indica and the Japonica variety. "Even if
the the gene has been traced to Japonica
it is unlikely to have any ownership
implications as this variety does not
belong to any one country specifically,"
assured Singh. This is good news for
India as it fights for the GI status.
"GI is crystallization of traditional
knowledge and practices that are evocative
of a geographical region. Even if the
rice line did come from some other
country 1,000 years ago, Basmati is recognized
worldwide as the fragrant rice
grown in the foothills of the
Himalaya," explained Sunita K
Sreedharan, a patent lawyer
from Delhi.
This study is also not
likely to bring back the
Basmati patent controversy.
An American company
RiceTec Inc won a US
patent on Basmati rice lines
and grains in 1997. This was
challenged by the Indian
government in 2000 and the
dispute ended after RiceTec
Inc gave up its patent title.
Susan McCouch, plant geneticist at
Cornell University and one of the
researchers, quoted the academic significance
of the study: it opens avenues to
develop fragrant rice varieties to suit
different cultures
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