Lok Sabha Q&A: Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Accelerates Agricultural Yield and Resilience via Radiation Technology
SDG 2: Zero Hunger | SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) | Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) | Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) addressed a question in the Lok Sabha on December 11, 2025, regarding leveraging of nuclear technology for agricultural self-reliance. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) utilizes radiation-induced mutagenesis and cross-breeding to develop improved, high-yielding, and climate-resilient crop varieties.
Total Varieties Developed: BARC has developed and released a total of 72 improved crop varieties for commercial cultivation to date.
Recent Momentum: In the last five years (2020β2025), DAE developed and released 23 new varieties for cultivation, covering diverse staples and cash crops:
Cereals & Pulses: 7 rice varieties, 3 black gram (urad), 3 sorghum (jowar), and 1 mung bean variety.
Oilseeds: 5 mustard varieties, 2 groundnut varieties, and 1 sesamum (til) variety.
Horticulture: The first fruit crop variety released by BARC, a new banana variety.
Desirable Traits: These new varieties possess crucial traits that distinguish them from older cultivars, including early maturity, higher yield, improved nutrient content, and resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses (e.g., disease, drought, and lodging in rice).
Food Preservation and Logistics: Radiation technology also plays a critical role in post-harvest management. Irradiation is used to extend the shelf life of perishables like mangoes (up to 35 days for sea export) and staple vegetables like onions and potatoes (up to 7.5 and 8 months, respectively), minimizing spoilage and benefiting farmers and exporters.
Safety and Evaluation: All radiation-developed varieties are safe for consumption, as the process only accelerates natural mutation and does not involve inserting foreign genes. BARC works closely with the ICAR and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs) for thorough multi-location field evaluation and nutritional quality testing before any variety is released for cultivation.
Policy Relevance
The DAEβs mutation breeding program directly addresses national food security (SDG 2) and climate resilience by developing high-yielding, stress-tolerant crops suitable for Indiaβs diverse agro-climatic zones. This strategic application of atomic energy contributes to the goal of doubling farm income and reducing agricultural loss by strengthening the cold chain through radiation-based preservation technologies.
What is Radiation-Induced Mutagenesis? This is a plant breeding technique used by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to accelerate the natural process of genetic mutation in seeds. By exposing seeds to controlled radiation (such as gamma rays or electron beam), the frequency of beneficial mutations is dramatically increased, allowing breeders to rapidly select and develop crop varieties with desirable traits (e.g., disease resistance or early maturity) in a much shorter time than conventional breeding. The process is safe and does not make the seeds radioactive.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Given the apprehension regarding radiation technology, what specific, national policy guidelines will the DAE and ICAR implement to proactively communicate the scientific safety consensus and substantial equivalence of these non-radioactive mutant crops to consumers?
Follow the full news here: DEVELOPMENT OF CROP VARIETIES USING RADIATION TECHNOLOGY