Importance and advantages of rice biofortification with iron and zinc

Rice (Oryza sativa) being the staple food for almost twothirds of the population plays a pivotal role in Indian economy. Moreover, India ranks first in the world in area of rice cultivation with 43.97 million ha and second in production with 104.32 million tons (Anonymous 2013). Almost 31% of calories of Indian diet are supplied through rice. Research efforts focused on development of high-yielding varieties and adoption of modern production technologies resulted in enhanced production leading to self-sufficiency in the country. Along with yield, grain and nutritional quality has also become a primary consideration in rice breeding programs not only in India but also in various rice growing countries across the world. Rice biofortification program aims at biological and genetic enrichment of food products with vital nutrients, vitamins and proteins. Ideally, once rice is biofortified with vital nutrients, the farmer can grow the variety indefinitely without any additional input to produce nutrient packed rice grains in a sustainable way so that the produce reaches the malnourished population in rural India. Plant breeding is an excellent ‘tool’ for micronutrient nutritional enhancement in combating the problem of malnutrition. The micronutrient density traits are stable across environments and it is possible to improve the content of several limiting micronutrients together. High nutrient density not only benefits the consumer but also produces more vigorous seedlings in the next generation. Malnutrition is the most common cause of zinc deficiency and 25% of the world’s population is at risk of zinc deficiency (Maret and Sandstead 2006). In Asia and Africa, it is estimated that 500 to 600 million people are at risk for low zinc intake (Source: http:// www.harvestplus.org/ 2010). The Directorate of Rice Research (DRR), Rajendranagar, Hyderabad collected various landraces, basmati, non-basmati and high-yielding rice cultivars from different parts of the country. Varieties with relatively high iron and zinc in grains were identified and introduced in the breeding program as donors and some fixed rice lines with high iron (>10 ppm) and zinc (>20 ppm) after 10% polishing are at testing stage under All India Coordinated Rice Improvement Programme (AICRIP) system. Rice grain