NABARD ARDNABARD Grade AState AAO
In one line
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
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.
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
