Vol. 11, Special Issue 1 (2022)

Author(s):
Raju Ram Choudhary, Manjeet Singh, Monu Kumari, Harsh Chaurasia, Mukesh Poonia and Babulal Dhaka

Abstract:
Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through conventional plant breeding, agronomic practices and modern biotechnology. Biofortification of food is possible through two ways. First one, by increasing desirable nutrients viz., provitamin-A, vitamin-C, protein, iron, zinc, calcium, lysine, tryptophan, anthocyanin, oleic acid and linoleic acid in staple food crops and second one by reducing antinutritional factors viz., erucic acid, glucosinolates and trypsin inhibitor. These biofortified cultivars are also high yielding, thus ideal for both ‘nutritional and food security’. Indian agricultural institutes has developed and released 71 nutrition rich crop cultivars in important crops like wheat, rice, maize, pearlmillet, fingermillet, groundnut, mustard, lentil, small millet, linseed, soybean, cauliflower, potato, sweet potato, pomegranate and greater yam. The newly developed biofortified varieties besides serving as an important source for livelihood to poor people assume great significance in nutritional security.