Improvement of small seed for big nutritional feed

Abstract

Exploding global population, rapid urbanization, salinization of soils, decreasing arable land availability, groundwater resources, and dynamic climatic conditions pose impending damage to our food security by reducing the grain quality and quantity. This issue is further compounded in arid and semi-arid regions due to the shortage of irrigation water and erratic rainfalls. Millets are gluten (a family of proteins)-free and cultivated all over the globe for human consumption, fuel, feed, and fodder. They provide nutritional security for the under- and malnourished. With the deployment of strategies like foliar spray, traditional/marker-assisted breeding, identification of candidate genes for the translocation of important minerals, and genome-editing technologies, it is now tenable to biofortify important millets. Since the bioavailability of iron and zinc has been proven in human trials, the challenge is to make such grains accessible. This review encompasses nutritional benefits, progress made, challenges being encountered, and prospects of enriching millet crops with essential minerals.

Nourishing the Cognition with Millets: A Comprehensive Review of Their Nutritional Impact and Potential as Cognitive Enhancers

“…They found that finger millet polyphenols exhibited antioxidant activity and demonstrated potential as neuroprotective agents. Additionally, Devi et al [93] and Kavi Kishor et al [94] demonstrated in their study on finger millet that supplementation reduced lipid abnormalities and oxidative stress, which are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Barnyard millet has been studied for its potential neuroprotective effects.…”

“…[ 93 ] and Kavi Kishor et al. [ 94 ] demonstrated in their study on finger millet that supplementation reduced lipid abnormalities and oxidative stress, which are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases. Barnyard millet has been studied for its potential neuroprotective effects.…”

Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana) Plant–Endophyte Dynamics: Plant Growth, Nutrient Uptake, and Zinc Biofortification

“…With a global production of roughly 4.5 million metric tons, finger millet is the sixth most significant cereal crop. With 1.2 million metric tons produced, India comes in first place behind Africa's 2.5 million metric tons [3]. Finger millet is a significant crop in the semiarid and arid regions of Asia and Africa and it is adaptable to various agro-climatic conditions [4].…”

Vigour testing for the rice seed with computer vision-based techniques

“…Growing concerns about improving rice seed vigour has been observed over the past few decades since rice production becomes mechanized, with direct sowing replacing manual transplanting ( Liang et al., 2022 ). Furthermore, seed vigour should receive the utmost attention in order to address issues with climate change and land depletion because it can ensure rapid and uniform germination and subsequent seedling development to survive under the harsh environments, and increase productivity of arable lands ( Havé et al., 2017 ; Kishor et al., 2021 ). Seed vigour deserves more priority than investments on fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs since it is the first step in crop surviving and has impact on yield and field management.…”