Genotypic Variation for Micronutrient Content in Traditional and Improved Rice Lines and its Role in Biofortification Programme

Biofortification is an emerging cost-effective strategy to address global malnutrition especially in developing countries. This strategy involves supplying of micronutrients such as iron and zinc in the staple foods by using conventional plant breeding and biotechnology methods. Initial step in conventional plant breeding is to screen the natural gene reservoir for existing variation. The objective of this study is to estimate iron and zinc in the brown rice of 192 germplasm lines and to define its role in biofortification programme. Substantial variations among 192 lines existed for both iron and zinc content. Iron concentration ranged from 6.6 ìg/g to 16.7 ìg/g and zinc concentration from 7.1 ìg/g to 32.4 ìg/g in brown rice. Iron and zinc concentration were positively correlated implying the chance for concurrent selection for both the micronutrients. Micronutrient-rich genotypes identified in this study opens up the possibilities for the identification of genomic regions or QTLs responsible for mineral uptake and translocation that can be used as donor for developing nutrient enriched varieties.