Transferability of Markers Specific to Micronutrient Transportation for Biofortificationof Rice (Oryza sativa L.): A New Paradigm

摘要

Enhancing micronutricnts in staple crops to alleviate malnutrition is a current challenge among scientific fraternity. Metal transporters play major role in transporting micronutrients from root to grains. Rice, finger millet and Pearl millet were used to discern the variations present in their transporters. Among 12 gene specific markers for rice, four were amplified in finger millet and only one amplified in pearl millet. OsZIP3b is amplified in all three crops and hence, can be used in selecting the rice genotypes for higher grain micronutrient content. Information present in micronutrient rich crops can be used to biofortify staple food crops.