Prospects of breeding for micronutrients and b-carotene-dense sorghums

Eighty-four sorghum lines, produced from parental lines of popular hybrids, cultivars, yellow endosperm lines, germplasm lines, lines characterized by high protein digestibility, lines with high lysine contents and waxy lines, were evaluated in Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India, during the post-rainy season of 2003-04. Significant genetic differences for Fe, Zn and phytate contents, and agronomic and grain traits were observed. The grain Fe content ranged from 20.1 (ICSR 93031) to 37.0 ppm (ICSB 472 and 296 B), whereas the Zn content varied from 13.4 (JJ 1041) to 31.0 ppm (IS 11990). Zn and Fe contents, which showed substantial heritability, were significantly and positively correlated. Stover and grain yields were weakly and negatively correlated with grain Fe content, but were strongly and negatively correlated with the grain Zn content. The number of days to 50% flowering and plant height were weakly correlated with grain Fe and Zn contents. Grain luster was positively correlated with grain Fe content, but was weakly correlated with grain Zn content. The grains of non-yellow endosperm lines had trace amounts of ?-carotene. In 11 yellow endosperm lines, the grain ?-carotene content ranged from 0.56 (IS 24724) to 1.132 ppm (IS 26886), with 6 lines (IS 7684, IS 7776, IS 24703, IS 24868, IS 24883 and IS 26886) having higher ?-carotene contents than the average of 0.85 ppm. The ?-carotene content was poorly correlated with grain Fe and Zn contents. The grain phytate content, characterized by a slight variation between phenotypic and genetic coefficients of variation and high heritability, was weakly correlated with grain Fe and Zn contents

Evaluating rice germplasm for iron and zinc concentration in brown rice and seed dimensions

The lack of micronutrients such as Fe and Zn in staple food crops is a widespread nutrition and health problem in developing countries. Biofortification is one of the sustainable approaches, for improving the Fe and Zn content and their bioavailability in rice grain. Screening germplasm for Fe and Zn content is the initial step of biofortification. We analyzed brown rice of 126 accessions of rice genotypes for Fe and Zn concentration. Iron concentration ranged from 6.2 ppm to 71.6 ppm and zinc from 26.2 ppm to 67.3 ppm. Zn concentration and grain elongation (-0.25) was significantly correlated. The wild accessions had the highest Fe and Zn. Thus, wild species are a good source for biofortification of popular rice cultivars using conventional, acceptable, non transgenic methods. Â

Prospects of breeding biofortified pearl millet with high grain iron and zinc content

Development of crop cultivars with elevated levels of micronutrients is being increasingly recognized as one of the approaches to provide sustainable solutions to various health problems associated with micronutrient malnutrition, especially in developing countries. To assess the prospects of this approach in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), a diverse range of genetic materials, consisting of 40 hybrid parents, 30 each of population progenies and improved populations, and 20 germplasm accessions, was analysed for grain iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) content, deficiencies of which adversely affect human health. Based on the mean performance in two seasons at ICRISAT, Patancheru, India, large variability among the entries was found, both for Fe (30.1-75.7 mg/kg on dry weight basis) and Zn (24.5-64.8 mg/kg). The highest levels of grain Fe and Zn were observed in well-adapted commercial varieties and their progenies, and in the parental lines of hybrids, which were either entirely based on iniari germplasm, or had large components of it in their parentage. There were indications of large within-population genetic variability for both Fe and Zn. The correlation between Fe and Zn content was positive and highly significant (r=0.84; P<0.01). These results indicate that there are good prospects of simultaneous selection for both micronutrients, and that selection within populations, especially those with the predominantly iniari germplasm, is likely to provide good opportunities for developing pearl millet varieties and hybrid parents with significantly improved grain Fe and Zn content in pearl millet

Gene effects and heterosis for grain iron and zinc density in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br)

Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.] is a major warm-season cereal, grown primarily for grain production in the arid and semi-arid tropical regions of Asia and Africa. Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) deficiencies have been reported to be a food-related primary health problem affecting nearly two billion people worldwide. Improving Fe and Zn densities of staple crops by breeding offers a cost-effective and sustainable solution to reducing micronutrient malnutrition in resource poor communities. An understanding of the genetics of these micronutrients can help to accelerate the breeding process, but little is known about the genetics and heterosis pattern of Fe and Zn densities in pearl millet. In the present study, ten inbred lines and their full diallel crosses were used to study the nature of gene action and heterosis for these micronutrients. The general combining ability (GCA) effects of parents and specific combining ability (SCA) effects of hybrids showed significant differences for both of the micronutrients. However, the predictability ratio (2σ2gca/(2σ2gca + σ2sca)) was around unity both for Fe and Zn densities, implying preponderance of additive gene action. Further, highly significant positive correlation between mid-parent values and hybrid performance, and no correlation between mid-parent values and mid-parent heterosis confirmed again the predominant role of additive gene action for these micronutrients. Barring a few exceptions with one parent, hybrids did not outperform the parents having high Fe and Zn levels. This showed that there would be little opportunity, if any, to exploit heterosis for these mineral micronutrients in pearl millet. In general, high Fe and Zn levels in both of the parental lines would be required to increase the probability of breeding high Fe and Zn hybrids

A simple and rapid screening method for grain zinc content in pearl millet

Field and laboratory studies were conducted in Andhra Pradesh, India, to evaluate the effectiveness of a rapid screening method using Perl's Prussian blue stain for screening grain samples from different pearl millet genotypes for zinc (Zn) content. A total of 29 entries representing a wide range of grain Zn concentrations was evaluated in 5 different seasons for genotype × environment interaction. The estimation of grain Zn content was done using the sib-mated grain samples from the 2005 rainy and 2006 summer seasons following the AAS method. Of these, 9 pearl millet genotypes with a wide range of grain Zn content were chosen to standardize the DTZ staining procedure. The procedure was further validated using the grain samples of the remaining 20 entries obtained from sib-mating. Results showed that whole grain flour of pearl millet genotypes with different Zn concentrations, when treated with DTZ stain, showed an increase in the intensity of red colour formation with increasing Zn concentration. The intensity of red colour varied in genotypes having low, medium and high grain Zn content. In genotypes having high Zn content, the red colour was more intense than in those having medium Zn content. The intensity of red colour was very less or none in genotypes having less than 37 mg Zn/kg. DTZ staining can therefore be useful at least in separating flour samples with Zn concentrations lower than 40 mg/kg. These results suggested that DTZ staining was effective in separating genotypes with high and low Zn contents. The cost analysis of DTZ staining protocol showed that the chemical cost per sample was approximately US$ 0.75, which showed that this method was simple, rapid and inexpensive

A rapid screening method for grain iron content in Pearl Millet

Enhancing grain iron (Fe) content is one of the effective ways of increasing the Fe intake and reducing the incidence of Fe-deficiency anaemia (Welch and Graham 2002). Large genetic variability for grain Fe content has been reported in many crops (Graham et al. 1999). Pearl millet [Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R.Br.] is a major source of dietary energy for millions of people living in the arid and semi-arid tropical regions of Africa and Asia. It has on an average 50 mg kg-1 of grain Fe, which is more than wheat, rice and maize. Studies with limited germplasm have shown large genetic variability for this trait, indicating good opportunities to select and/or breed millet genotypes with still higher grain Fe (Jambunathan and Subramanian 1988; Abdalla et al. 1998). The bottleneck in this process is the high cost of Fe estimation. At present Fe estimation is done with digests using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (ICP), which require relatively expensive instruments and are time-consuming. These chemical analyses would be prohibitively costly for evaluating a large number of progenies during the course of a breeding program. A procedure based on Perls’ Prussian blue stain was proposed for rapid screening of grain Fe content in rice (Prom-u-thai et al. 2003; Krishnan et al. 2003) which involves scoring color intensity in the embryo of cut and treated seeds (with 2% Prussian blue) through a stereomicroscope. The objective of this research was to simplify the method and assess its effectiveness in screening for grain Fe content in pearl millet

Mother and child nutrition among the Chakhesang tribe in the state of Nagaland, North-East India

Despite the importance of the nutritional status and food systems of Indigenous Peoples, the subject has received very little attention, especially in North-East India. Therefore, a community-based cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among Chakhesang mothers with children under 5 years of age to evaluate their nutritional status and prevalence of chronic diseases in the context of their dietary habits. From 558 households (HHs), 661 children and 540 mothers were covered using standard anthropometric measurements as well as blood collection for haemoglobin and vitamin A. Data were collected from mothers on HH socio-demographic particulars and infant and young child feeding practices. The results showed that the prevalence of underweight, stunting, and wasting among children <5 years of age was 14%, 22%, and 7%, respectively. The prevalence of anaemia and vitamin A deficiency was 26% and 33% among children <5 years, whereas it was 33% and 26%, respectively, among mothers. Hypertension was observed in 16% of women, whereas diabetes was seen in 0.8%. Approximately 35% and 24% of HHs suffered mild or moderate food insecurity, respectively, which was associated with literacy of the parents, per capita income, and family size. Utilization of the rich agrobiodiversity and wild foods by the Chakhesangs appears to be a strong reason for their better nutritional and health status as compared to the rest of India. Therefore, this Indigenous knowledge and food system must be documented and kept vital, especially in policies and intervention programmes addressing food and nutrition security among the Chakhesang

QTL Analysis for Grain Iron and Zinc Concentrations in Two O. nivara Derived Backcross Populations

Identification of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for grain mineral elements can assist in faster and more precise development of micronutrient dense rice varieties through marker-assisted breeding. In the present study, QTLs were mapped for Fe and Zn concentrations in two BC2F3 mapping populations derived from the crosses of O. sativa cv Swarna with two different accessions of O. nivara. In all, 10 and 8 QTLs were identified for grain Fe and Zn concentrations in population 1, and 7 and 5 QTLs were identified in population 2, respectively. Eighty percent of the QTLs detected in both populations were derived from O. nivara. Five QTLs for Fe and three QTLs for Zn explained more than 15% phenotypic variance either in interval or composite interval mapping. The locations of O. nivara derived QTLs such as qFe2.1, qFe3.1, qFe8.2 and qZn12.1 were consistently identified in both the populations. Epistatic interaction was observed only between RM106 and RM6 on chromosome 2 and between RM22 and RM7 on chromosome 3 for Fe concentration in population 1. Sixteen candidate genes for metal homeostasis were found to co-locate with 10 QTLs for Fe and Zn concentrations in both the populations. Most of the Fe and Zn QTLs were found to co-locate with QTLs for grain yield and grain quality traits. Some of the major effect QTLs identified can be used to improve rice grain Fe and Zn concentrations

Nutritional status, food insecurity, and biodiversity among the Khasi in Meghalaya, North-East India

A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out with 603 children ages 5 and under and 500 of their mothers from 510 households to examine the prevalence of undernutrition and chronic diseases among the Khasis of North-East India. Anthropometric measurements including Mid-Upper Arm Circumference, height, and weight were taken. Dry blood spots to estimate haemoglobin and vitamin A were collected from children and women separately by finger prick. Mothers provided data about household socio-demographic particulars and infant and young child feeding practices. The prevalence in children of underweight was 31%, stunting was 57%, and wasting was 10%. Undernutrition was higher among boys as compared to girls. Nutrient intakes were below recommended levels. The prevalence of anaemia among children ages 1 to 5 years old was 68%, and vitamin A deficiency was 59%, and they were 83% and 48%, respectively, among women. Hypertension was observed in 15% of women, whereas diabetes was less than 1%. Only about 20% of households were food secure, and this was associated with parental literacy, per capita income, and family size. Undernutrition was unacceptably high among the Khasis despite rich food biodiversity. Proper implementation of nutritional intervention programs such as Integrated Child Development Services, Mid Day Meal, and the Public Distribution System will improve the nutrient intake and nutritional status of the population. Additionally, preservation of forest lands and products paired with judicious use of the rich food biodiversity available will promote dietary diversity and ultimately better nutrition and health

Health effects of omega-3,6,9 fatty acids: Perilla frutescens is a good example of plant oils

Perilla frutescens seeds are a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The seeds of perilla are small end globular weight about 4 g/1000, contained approximately 35–45% oil. However the leaves are a very poor source of oil, since they contain only 0.2%. In addition, only the seed oil contains the omega 3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). In comparing to other plant oils, perilla seed oil consistently contains the one of the highest proportion of omega-3 (ALA) fatty acids, at 54–64%. The omega-6 (linoleic acid) component is usually around 14% and omega-9 (Oleic acid) is also present in perilla oil. These polyunsaturated fatty acids are most beneficial to human health and in prevention of different diseases like cardiovascular disorders, cancer, inflammatory, rheumatoid arthritis etc