Understanding the Role of Iron and Zinc in Animals and Crop Plants from Genomics Perspective

The micronutrients iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) play an important role in the metabolism of both animals and plants. The deficiency of these micronutrients, therefore, has a direct effect on their growth and metabolism. In order to enhance the level of micronutrients in crop plants, it is necessary to understand the genetic makeup and regulation of their transporter genes. The genetic improvement of crop plants is an option to attain nutritional security along with food security. In this review, we have described the impact of Fe and Zn on animal and crop plants, the need to improve the mineral contents (Fe and Zn) in crops with a special focus on common bean as a model for understanding the mineral uptake and the approaches towards deciphering the micronutrient contributing genes.