Golden Rice, VAD, Covid and Public Health: Saving Lives and Money

On July 21, 2021, Golden Rice was registered in the Philippines allowing cultivation and consumption. Research, as an intervention to combat vitamin A deficiency (VAD), started in 1991, and proof of concept for what was to become Golden Rice, was achieved in 1999. In the 1990s, 23–34% deaths globally of children less than 5 years old were caused by VAD, and in developing countries, the percentage was even higher. By 2013, progress against the Millennium Development Goals had reduced <5-y child deaths globally from VAD to about 2% of all such deaths. The progress included significant vaccination programs against measles, and better access to clean water, as well as vitamin A supplementation, all delivered through community health programs. Economic development and education about diet reduced food insecurity. In contrast to continuing VAD deaths, the Covid-19 pandemic has attracted huge political attention, including in low- and middle-income countries. Community health programs have been adversely affected by the pandemic. There is a danger that as a result VAD rates, child and maternal mortality climbs again toward 1990’s levels. Adoption of Golden Rice provides a safe, culturally simple amelioration and is costless. Other countries should seize the opportunity. Bangladesh is first in line, possibly followed by Indonesia and India.

Development and Field Evaluation of Near-Isogenic Lines of GR2-EBRRI dhan29 Golden Rice

Vitamin A deficiency remains a common public health problem among the rice-dependent poor people in the developing countries of Asia. Conventional milled rice does not contain provitamin A (β-carotene) in is edible part (endosperm) and is also deficient in essential minerals, such as iron and zinc. Transgenic Golden Rice event GR2E, which produces β-carotene in its endosperm, was used as a parent to introgress the transgene locus conferring β-carotene biosynthesis into a widely grown rice variety, BRRI dhan29, which covers around 26.1% of the irrigated rice area (4.901 Mha) of Bangladesh in the dry season. The current study reports the introgression process and field performance of GR2E BRRI dhan29 Golden Rice. The background recovery of GR2E BRRI dhan29 lines at BC5F2 generation was more than 98% with a 6K SNP-chip set. The transgenic GR2E BRRI dhan29 yielded 6.2 t/ha to 7.7 t/ha with an average of 7.0 ± 0.38 t/ha, while the non-transgenic BRRI dhan29 yielded 7.0 t/ha under confined field conditions in Bangladesh. Moreover, no significant difference between GR2-E BRRI dhan29 Golden Rice and non-transgenic BRRI dhan29 in any measured trait was observed in the multi-location trials conducted at five locations across the country. Furthermore, the appearance of cooked and uncooked rice was similar to that of BRRI dhan29 except for the yellow color indicating the presence of carotenoids. Total carotenoid content in the selected introgression lines ranged from 8.5 to 12.5 μg/g with an average of 10.6 ± 1.16 μg/g. This amount is sufficient to deliver approximately 66 and 80% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A for children and women, respectively, assuming complete substitution of white rice in the diet with Golden Rice. However, the lead selected line(s) need further evaluation at open field conditions before deciding for commercial cultivation. A large-scale feeding trial among the malnourished community with this newly developed GR2-E BRRI dhan29 Golden Rice is also required to validate its efficacy in alleviating vitamin A deficiency.

Development and characterization of GR2E Golden rice introgression lines

Golden Rice with β-carotene in the grain helps to address the problem of vitamin A deficiency. Prior to commercialize Golden Rice, several performance and regulatory checkpoints must be achieved. We report results of marker assisted backcross breeding of the GR2E trait into three popular rice varieties followed by a series of confined field tests of event GR2E introgression lines to assess their agronomic performance and carotenoid expression. Results from confined tests in the Philippines and Bangladesh have shown that GR2E introgression lines matched the performance of the recurrent parents for agronomic and yield performance, and the key components of grain quality. Moreover, no differences were observed in terms of pest and disease reaction. The best performing lines identified in each genetic background had significant amounts of carotenoids in the milled grains. These lines can supply 30–50% of the estimated average requirements of vitamin A.