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Union Minister of State (IC), Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated SPROUT — a state-of-the-art agricultural research facility at the BRIC-National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi — to develop climate-resilient crops.
Context
What SPROUT Stands For
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SpeedSeed Phenotyping and Resource Optimization for Unified Trait Analysis
It is an agricultural technology platform focused on rapid and efficient analysis of crop traits.
- Speed Seed Phenotyping: Quickly studies and measures important characteristics (traits) of seeds and plants.
- Resource Optimization: Helps reduce the time, labour and resources needed for crop evaluation.
- Unified Trait Analysis: Brings different crop-trait measurements together for more systematic analysis.
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Aim
- Develop climate-resilient crops by enabling precise trait evaluation under varied environmental conditions
- Strengthen plant genome research and high-throughput phenotyping
Important Facts for Examsmost asked
- SPROUT — SpeedSeed Phenotyping and Resource Optimization for Unified Trait Analysis
- Located at BRIC-NIPGR, New Delhi; Director Prof. Manoj Prasad
- Initial crop: chickpea
- SpeedSeed / speed breeding cuts crop cycles to about 40 days, allowing several generations per year instead of one or two
- Phenotyping — measuring a plant’s observable traits (height, yield, stress response); high-throughput means automated, at large scale
- Genotype vs phenotype — genotype is the genetic makeup; phenotype is the expressed traits, shaped by genes and environment
- BRIC — Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council, an autonomous body under the Department of Biotechnology, formed 2023 by merging 14 DBT institutes
- NIPGR — established 1998; focuses on plant genomics
- BioE3 Policy — approved 2024, promoting biomanufacturing and a high-performance bioeconomy
- India’s first genome-edited rice varieties — DRR Dhan 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1 — were released in 2025
- SDN-1 and SDN-2 genome editing, which introduces no foreign DNA, is exempt from GM regulation in India
- Chickpea (gram) — India’s largest pulse crop, a rabi crop; India is the world’s largest producer
