Biofortification of Vegetables

In the past few decades, the major concern on this planet was food security. After making a successful lead in food security now, the developing nations are focusing on nutritional security, which includes food that is enriched in minerals and vitamins. Micronutrients and vitamins are essential for human growth and development. Any deficiency of these components leads to “hidden hunger.” Enhancing these components can alleviate malnutrition in women and children in the developing world. Micronutrients like Fe, Zn, Se, Mg, Ca, Iodine, and vitamins like provitamin A and folate are an important component of the biofortification program. Biofortification of vegetable with vitamins and micronutrients is the present need of an hour to fight different health issues faced by the developing countries. For biofortification of vegetable and other staple crops, three major techniques are used, viz. conventional breeding, agronomic approach (use of mineral fertilizer), and genetic engineering. These approaches have enormous potential to address this vitamin and micronutrient malnutrition. Many genes are available for the target traits by which it will be possible to improve micronutrient in vegetables. These tools can be very much helpful in improving the level of micronutrients and vitamins by several-fold in staple cereals and vegetables.