INDIAN scientists are trying to breed
oilseed varieties with a lower content
of harmful fatty acids and sulphur
compounds. Says deputy director
general for horticulture of the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research,
K L Chadha, "Some Indian varieties
of rapeseed and mustard may contain
as much as 50 per cent of fatty acids,
while varieties found in other parts
of the world, have hardly any such acids."
But these imported varieties,
called zero-zero varieties because the
oil extracted from them is safer for
human consumption, failed to grow
in Indian conditions. The scientists
are now using both conventional breeding techniques and biotechnology to develop such varieties for India.
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