Role of genomics in enhancing nutrition content of cereals

Abstract

Unprecedented growth of global population along with increasing levels of malnutrition among infants and adults necessitate the immediate research on improving the nutritional quality of major crops. Although sufficient research is in progress towards generating elite varieties capable of withstanding adverse climates without affecting their productivity, less importance has been given to ensure the nutritional properties of these crops. Cereals constitute a major source of staple food to the global population, but the levels of micro- and macro-nutrients in cereals are considerably less when compared to millets. Millets serve as versatile crops with exceptional agronomic traits as well as nutritional characteristics. Unlike cereals, millets are C 4 photosynthetic crops with several salient features such as tolerance to broad-spectrum abiotic stresses, adaptation to a wide range of ecological conditions, better survival and productivity in nutrient poor soils and are nutritionally superior to major cereals. In this context, this chapter summarizes the advancements made in the area of crop genomics with emphasis on improvement of the nutritional content of millets. Considering the genetically close-relatedness between millets and cereals, research should focus on investigating the genetics and genomics of nutritional traits in millets and introgress them into cereals using integrated omics approaches.