<div style="text-align:justify">Humans around the world suffer from micronutrient deficiency due to an inadequate intake of essential micronutrients in the daily diet. Agronomic biofortification offers the easiest and the quickest way for biofortification of cereal grains with zinc, iron or other micro mineral nutrients in developing countries especially Asia and Africa, where cereals form the staples. It is the only approach to reach the poorest of the poor rural masses, who can&rsquo;t afford to buy mineral supplements nor can afford animal by-products. From the agronomic biofortification viewpoint, foliar application is better and requires lesser amount of zinc and iron fertilizers than their soil application. Even when cultivars or GM crops with higher zinc and iron content in grains are developed, adequate zinc and iron fertilization will be necessary. Thus, for the long term, agronomic biofortification is a complimentary approach to plant breeding as well as modern biotechnology for increased micronutrients in the food basket.</div>

Agronomic biofortification of major cereals with zinc and iron- A review

<div>Background: Pulses are wonderful gift of the nature to agriculture. They provide nutrition to human beings and animals as food and feed respectively. Among the pulses, chickpea is an important rabi season crop with high acceptability and wider use in nutritional food basket. A field experiment was carried out on medium black calcareous soil at Junagadh Agricultural University, Junagadh, Gujarat during rabi season 2017-18 under saurastra condition to evaluate agronomic biofortification of zinc in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties through seed, soil and foliar application. 
 
Methods: The experiment was laid out in factorial randomized block design with three replications. The treatment combinations comprised two varieties viz., GG 1 (V1) and GJG 3 (V2) and six zinc fortification treatments viz., control, seed treatment ZnSO4 @ 3 g kg-1 seed, 0.5% ZnSO4 foliar spray, seed treatment ZnSO4 @ 3g kg-1 seed + 0.5% ZnSO4 foliar spray, soil application ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1 and soil application ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1 + 0.5% ZnSO4 foliar spray. The chickpea was grown with standard package of practices. 
 
Result: The results revealed that a significant improvement in 100-seed weight, seed yield, stover yield and biological yield were observed with chickpea variety GJG 3 over GG 1. Significantly higher numbers of pods per plant (45.83) was recorded with variety GG 1. Significantly, chickpea variety GJG 3 was found superior in zinc content and uptake in seed and stover. Under agronomic strategy, zinc fortification through soil application ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1 + 0.5% ZnSO4 foliar spray at flowering and pod filling stages significantly improved yield attribute and yield viz., pods per plant (55.17), seed yield (2288 kg ha-1) and stover yield (3553 kg&nbsp; ha-1) and quality parameters viz., protein content in seed (22.89%) and protein yield (523 kg ha-1), zinc content and uptake in seed and stover (45.98 and 37.51 ppm and 104.87 and 133.35 g ha-1, respectively) over all other zinc biofortification treatments.</div>

Agronomic Biofortification of Zinc in Chickpea Varieties in Calcareous Soil

Malnutrition and undernourishment are the major health problems in India with 16 per cent of the population are undernourished and 53 per cent of the women being anaemic. The millet grains called &lsquo;nutricereals&rsquo; are best alternative to address the nutritional deficiencies such as iron, protein, calcium and magnesium prevalent among population. Millets are drought tolerant, photo-insensitive and highly climate resilient crops. Henceforth, Millets are increasingly becoming an alternative source of food, both worldwide and in India. While there has been recent attention on using micronutrient supplements and fortifying foods industrially to assist vulnerable populations, the enduring and environmentally sound effects can truly be realized through fortifying crops with micronutrients during their production stage. Biofortification involves enhancing the levels vital nutrients in the edible portions of crop plants by either modifying agricultural practices or selecting plants improved genetic traits. Agronomic biofortification is an easiest short-term approach for biofortification. It involves the use of fertilizers enriched with micronutrients, which is a straightforward method to improve the nutritional quality of crops. Consuming such fortified crops can lead to improvements in human nutritional status. India is the leading millet producer with 80 per cent of Asia&rsquo;s share making 20 per cent of the global production. Millets, which were long thought of as poor man&rsquo;s diet, are now quickly becoming included in the food baskets of the wealthy as well as a natural remedy for health. The micronutrient content in millets can be explored by various agronomic biofortification methods. These include soil application of micronutrient enriched fertilizers for plant uptake, foliar application of fertilizer, seed primingand soilless cultivation, which are the primary techniques.

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Agronomic Biofortification in Millets- Key to Nutritional Security: A Review

<div>Background: Bio-fortification, the process of integrating nutrients into food crops, provides a sustainable and economic way of increasing the density of micronutrients in important staple crops. Agronomic bio-fortification is the easiest, practicable and fastest way for bio-fortification of pulse grains with Fe, Zn, or other desirable micronutrients. Increasing micronutrient rich foods and improving dietary diversity will substantially reduce micronutrient disorders. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted during the post rainy seasons of 2015, 2016 and 2017 at Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Kalaburagi, University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur (Karnataka) to know the effect of soil and foliar fertilization of Zn and Fe on chickpea genotypes. Two genotypes (Annigeri 1 and JG 11) and six fertilization treatments (Control, 0.5% Zn, 0.1% Fe, Zn + Fe, seed treatment with 2 g Zn kg-1 seeds and soil application of Zn) were tested in medium black soils in split plot design with three replications. 
 
Result: The pooled data of three seasons indicated that the genotype JG 11, performed better than Annigeri 1 in terms of seed yield (1309 kgha-1), net returns (₹&nbsp;31634ha-1) and B: C ratio (2.52). On biofortification of Zn and Fe, foliar fertilization of Zn @ 0.5% + Fe @ 0.1% at flowering stage recorded significantly higher grain yield (1321 kgha-1), net returns (₹ 31179ha-1) and B: C ratio (2.44) over rest of the treatments. Further, foliar fertilization of Zn + Fe had significant influence on nutrient concentration (Zn and Fe) in chickpea grains. Thus, it could be concluded that combined biofortification of Zn + Fe to chickpea crop could be the viable agronomic intervention for getting higher productivity and nutritional security.</div>

<div>Biofortification of Zn and Fe in Chickpea through Agronomic Intervention in Medium Black Soils of Karnataka</div>

<div>Background: According to the World Health Organization on worldwide prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, zinc deficiency ranked 11th amongst twenty most important factors in the world, whereas zinc and iron deficiency ranks 5th and 6th respectively, amongst ten most important factors in developing countries. Among micronutrients, zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) deficiency in human nutrition are wide spread in Asian developing countries including India. Therefore, agronomic biofortification is easiest and immediate effective method for enriching seed with zinc and iron, which could relieve malnutrition issues in developing countries, particularly in India. 
 
Methods: A field trial was carried out to study the agronomic biofortification of zinc and iron in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) varieties under Arid Western Plains Zone of Rajasthan. Growing of two varieties namely GNG-1581 and RSG-974 and seven fortification treatments included various doses of zinc and iron were assigned under FRBD and trial was carried out at Instructional Farm, College of Agriculture, Jodhpur (Rajasthan) during rabi season of 2019-20. 
 
Result:&nbsp;The results revealed that significantly higher yield attributes and yield viz. pods plant-1 and 100-grain weight were produced under the RSG-974, while higher number of seeds pod-1 as well as seed, stover and biomass yield along with higher zinc contents and their uptakes were noticed in chickpea variety GNG-1581 under application of ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1 (SA) + 0.5% FeSO4 (FA).</div>

Agronomic Biofortification of Zinc and Iron on Yield Potential and Zinc Fortification in Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) Varieties under Arid Western Plains Zone of Rajasthan

<div>Background: Biofortification is the process by which the nutritional quality of food crops is improved through agronomic practices, conventional plant breeding, or modern biotechnology. The objective in this work was to determine the effect of iron on mineral content, proximal composition, bioactive compound content and antioxidant activity in the bean grain.</div>

<div style="text-align:justify"> 
Methods: In this present work, we biofortificated plants of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), with doses of iron sulfate (0, 0.25, and 0.50 g) and foliar iron chelate (0, 25, 50 and 100 &micro;M). In the grain content mineral (iron, zinc, copper and nickel), proximal composition (moisture, ash, crude fiber, fat, protein, carbohydrates and energy), total phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins and antioxidant activity were determined.&nbsp;</div>

<div>&nbsp;</div>

<div>Result: Edaphic and foliar biofortification increased iron content in the grain. All treatment combinations containing some edaphic or foliar doses of iron increased levels of ash fat, protein, crude fiber, total phenols and anthocyanins, and decreased carbohydrate content and energy. Nine treatment combinations, including the control, possessed the highest antioxidant activities (84.96-89.76%).</div>

<div>Edaphic and Foliar Biofortification of Common Black Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with Iron</div>

Background: Supplement of balanced nutrition is required for the growth and development of crops and humans, particularly essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The application of mineral micronutrient fertilizers to soil or plant leaves to increase micronutrient content in edible parts of crop. Therefore, this study is focused to evaluate the effect of agronomic biofortification with different nutrient levels on maize. 
 
Methods: A field experiment was conducted on sandy clayey loam soil during the Rabi season of 2020-21 Perambalur, Tamil Nadu to study the effect of agronomic biofortification through integrated nutrient management for improving maize (Zea mays L.) yield and quality under Cauvery delta condition. Two hybrids in main-plots both, QPM and non-QPM were sown by direct method on ridges at a spacing of 60 x 20 cm under split plot design (SPD) with 6 treatments of nutrient management in sub-plot combination under three replications.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The results revealed that the nutrient level treatments containing 50% RDF through NPK + 50% RDF through FYM with Fe and Zn as foliar application @0.5% conc led to highest growth and yield attributes, grain yield (8.52 tha-1) and stover yield (10.35 tha-1) and also resulted in maximum crude protein content (14.93%), starch content (63.85 mg g-1), Fe (36.25 mg kg-1) and Zn (29.35 mg kg-1) in maize grain. It was observed that Agronomic biofortification through integrated nutrient management enhanced the vegetative growth and yield components of non-QPM hybrid, whereas it improved the grain quality content of the QPM hybrid.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Agronomic Biofortification through Integrated Nutrient Management on Maize (Zea mays L.) Hybrids

<div>Micronutrient deficiency is a big concern around the world since it causes serious social and health problems. Micronutrient availability is low on millions of hectares of land around the world, including India. Zn deficiency in Indian soils has reached 47% and Fe deficiency has reached 13%. The main causes of micronutrient deficit in soil are excessive fertilizer use (over the RDF), soil erosion and other agronomic practices that obstruct the movement of micronutrients. A promising and sustainable agriculture-based method called biofortification aims to reduce Zn and Fe deficiencies in dietary food ingredients. The plant breeding method to create biofortified crops and agronomic supplementation of micronutrients, such as foliar/soil application together with chemical fertilisers, have drawn the most attention among the various strategies used. Interactions between plants and microbes are recognised to be essential for enhancing the nutrient status of the soil and enriching micronutrients through the solubilization, mobilisation and translocation of metals to various parts of the plant. This symbiotic relationship enhances the quality and yield of crops, while innovative food processing techniques can offer cost-effective biofortified food solutions to address the nutritional needs of undernourished populations.Micronutrient deficiency is a big concern around the world since it causes serious social and health problems. Micronutrient availability is low on millions of hectares of land around the world, including India. Zn deficiency in Indian soils has reached 47% and Fe deficiency has reached 13%. The main causes of micronutrient deficit in soil are excessive fertilizer use (over the RDF), soil erosion and other agronomic practices that obstruct the movement of micronutrients. A promising and sustainable agriculture-based method called biofortification aims to reduce Zn and Fe deficiencies in dietary food ingredients. The plant breeding method to create biofortified crops and agronomic supplementation of micronutrients, such as foliar/soil application together with chemical fertilisers, have drawn the most attention among the various strategies used. Interactions between plants and microbes are recognised to be essential for enhancing the nutrient status of the soil and enriching micronutrients through the solubilization, mobilisation and translocation of metals to various parts of the plant. This symbiotic relationship enhances the quality and yield of crops, while innovative food processing techniques can offer cost-effective biofortified food solutions to address the nutritional needs of undernourished populations.</div>

Biofortification of Iron and Zinc in Field Crops Through Plant Microbe Interaction: A Review

Background: Agro-wastes represent valuable resources for mushroom cultivation, particularly Pleurotus species, which offer significant nutritional benefits and are grown using cost-effective methods. Selenium (Se), an essential micronutrient crucial for human health, is vital for preventing various diseases. Sodium selenite has emerged as an effective method for increasing selenium levels in mushrooms, thereby enhancing their nutritional quality. Additionally, utilizing biofortified spent mushroom waste for vermicomposting presents a sustainable solution for recycling organic waste and improving soil fertility.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: This study examines the biofortification of three Pleurotus species by applying sodium selenite in paddy straw substrate. The research investigates selenium accumulation and its impact on yield and biological efficiency, in addition to assessing various biochemical parameters. Furthermore, the study explores the influence of selenium-biofortified spent mushroom waste on the growth of earthworms during the vermicomposting process. 
 
Result: Our investigation into the biofortification of mushrooms with selenium revealed that incorporating 5% of sodium selenite into the substrate significantly enhanced the selenium content of Pleurotus ulmarius (CO2), Pleurotus florida and Pleurotus eous (APK1). However, increasing selenium content in the substrate correlated with decreased biological efficiency. Selenium biofortification resulted in a noteworthy increase in protein content alongside a reduction in carbohydrate levels. Moreover, utilizing selenium-biofortified spent mushroom waste (SeSMS) at a concentration of 2.5% in combination with cow dung (1:10) yielded favorable outcomes, including enhanced cocoon production and the presence of young and adult worms during vermicomposting on both the 60th and 90th day.

Selenium Biofortification of Pleurotus Mushrooms and Utilization of Spent Waste for Vermicomposting: A Sustainable Approach for Circular Agriculture

<div style="text-align: justify;">More than half of the world&rsquo;s population is affected by micronutrient malnutrition or deficiency and painstaking to be among the most serious global challenges to humankind. Modern plant breeding along with agronomic manipulation has been oriented toward achieving high agronomic yields than nutritional qualities. However, other efforts are expanding to alleviating the problems through industrial fortification or pharmaceutical supplementation which is very costly for the commoners. Micronutrient malnutrition or hidden hunger is very common among adolescent girls, women and preschool children caused mainly by low dietary intake of micronutrients, especially zinc and iron. Biofortification, the process of increasing the bioavailable concentrations of essential elements in edible portions of crop plants through agronomic intervention or genetic selection, may be the solution to malnutrition or deficiency mitigation. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research has been investigating the genetic potential to improve bioavailability of Fe and Zn in staple food crops such as rice, wheat, maize, common beans, and cassava.</div>