Manwaring Hanna R, Bligh H F J, Yadav Rattan
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University Aberystwyth, UK.
Unilever Research and Development Sharnbrook, UK.
Front Plant Sci. 2016 Dec 23;7:1944. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01944. eCollection 2016.
Deficiencies of essential micronutrients such as iron and zinc are the cause of extensive health problems in developing countries. They adversely affect performance, productivity and are a major hindrance to economic development. Since many people who suffer from micronutrient deficiencies are dependent on staple crops to meet their dietary requirements, the development of crop cultivars with increased levels of micronutrients in their edible parts is becoming increasingly recognized as a sustainable solution. This is largely facilitated by genetics and genomic platforms. The cereal crop pearl millet (), is an excellent candidate for genetic improvement due to its ability to thrive in dry, semi-arid regions, where farming conditions are often unfavorable. Not only does pearl millet grow in areas where other crops such as maize and wheat do not survive, it contains naturally high levels of micronutrients, proteins and a myriad of other health benefitting characteristics. This review discusses the current status of iron and zinc deficiencies and reasons why interventions such as fortification, supplementation, and soil management are neither practicable nor affordable in poverty stricken areas. We argue that the most cost effective, sustainable intervention strategy is to biofortify pearl millet with enhanced levels of bioavailable iron and zinc. We discuss how naturally occurring genetic variations present in germplasm collections can be incorporated into elite, micronutrient rich varieties and what platforms are available to drive this research. We also consider the logistics of transgenic methods that could facilitate the improvement of the pearl millet gene pool.
铁和锌等必需微量营养素的缺乏是发展中国家广泛健康问题的根源。它们对身体机能和生产力产生不利影响，是经济发展的主要障碍。由于许多患有微量营养素缺乏症的人依靠主粮作物来满足其饮食需求，因此培育可食用部分微量营养素含量更高的作物品种越来越被视为一种可持续的解决方案。这在很大程度上得益于遗传学和基因组学平台。谷类作物珍珠粟因其能够在干旱、半干旱地区茁壮成长，而这些地区的耕作条件往往不利，所以是进行遗传改良的理想候选作物。珍珠粟不仅能在玉米和小麦等其他作物无法存活的地区生长，而且其天然含有高水平的微量营养素、蛋白质以及众多其他有益健康的特性。本综述讨论了铁和锌缺乏的现状，以及在贫困地区强化、补充和土壤管理等干预措施既不可行也负担不起的原因。我们认为，最具成本效益的可持续干预策略是对珍珠粟进行生物强化，提高其生物可利用铁和锌的含量。我们讨论了如何将种质资源库中天然存在的遗传变异整合到优质、富含微量营养素的品种中，以及有哪些平台可推动这项研究。我们还考虑了转基因方法的可行性，这些方法有助于改善珍珠粟的基因库。
