INDIA HAS developed the first transgenic mulberry plant in the world with drought and salinity tolerance.The breakthrough was achieved in a laboratory in South Campus, Delhi University, where the transgenic plants are currently being tested for proper gene expression. According to sources in the department of biotechnology which funded the development of the mulberry plant with transgenic gene HVA-1, drought and salinity are the major problems facing mulberry crop primarily grown in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. The breakthrough assumes great significance in the view that nearly 90 per cent of our silk is mulberry silk and sericulture is a major cottage industry earning foreign exchange worth about Rs.2,250 crore. This industry employs 60 lakh people.

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