Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Hasnae Choukri, Noureddine El Haddad, Khawla Aloui, Kamal Hejjaoui, Adil El-Baouchi, Abdelaziz Smouni, Dil Thavarajah, Fouad Maalouf, Shiv Kumar
Summary: High temperature during the reproductive stage negatively affects the growth and development of lentil, resulting in decreased yield and nutritional quality. This study found that high temperature reduced protein, iron, and zinc concentrations in lentils, as well as shortened cooking time and increased phytic acid levels. These findings are important for developing biofortified lentil cultivars to combat micronutrient malnutrition.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuta Kawakami, Wilhelm Gruissem, Navreet K. Bhullar
Summary: This study reports two novel approaches for rice Fe biofortification, namely the Y approach and the T approach. The Y approach increased polished grain Fe concentrations by controlling the expression of maize YELLOW STRIPE 1, while the T approach increased polished grain Fe concentrations by controlling the expression of rice TRANSPORTER OF MUGINEIC ACID 1. No synergistic increases in polished grain Fe concentrations were observed when Y and T approaches were combined. However, the polished grain Fe concentrations further increased when the YT approach was combined with the endosperm-specific expression of FERRITIN (YTF approach), or when the YTF approach was combined with the constitutive expression of NICOTIANAMINE SYNTHASE (YTFN approach).
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Noureddine El Haddad, Hasnae Choukri, Michel Edmond Ghanem, Abdelaziz Smouni, Rachid Mentag, Karthika Rajendran, Kamal Hejjaoui, Fouad Maalouf, Shiv Kumar
Summary: High temperature and water deficit have a significant negative impact on lentil yield and quality, with the combined temperature-drought stress having a more severe effect. Genotypes with lower breakpoints exhibit better yield and water use efficiency under high temperature and drought conditions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
M. Abdul Alim, S. Imran Hossain, Allah Ditta, M. Kamrul Hasan, M. Rafiqul Islam, A. S. M. Golam Hafeez, M. Arif Hossain Khan, M. Kaium Chowdhury, Moaz Hosen Pramanik, Ibrahim Al-Ashkar, Ayman El Sabagh, Mohammad Sohidul Islam
Summary: This study investigated the effects of foliar application of urea on the growth and yield of boro rice. The results showed that combining soil and foliage fertilization can save urea and achieve equivalent or higher yields.
Article
Agronomy
Lu Liu, Wen-Feng Cong, Bruno Suter, Fusuo Zhang, Wopke van der Werf, Tjeerd Jan Stomph
Summary: This study conducted a global meta-analysis of previous studies and found that soil and foliar application of zinc fertilizer can significantly increase zinc concentration in rice grains, while foliar application of iron fertilizer can significantly increase iron concentration in rice grains. These findings provide important knowledge for designing effective fertilization strategies to improve the nutritional quality of rice.
FIELD CROPS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Chengeshpur Anjali Goud, Vanisri Satturu, Renuka Malipatil, Aswini Viswanath, Janani Semalaiyappan, Himabindu Kudapa, Santosha Rathod, Abhishek Rathore, Mahalingam Govindaraj, Nepolean Thirunavukkarasu
Summary: Pearl millet, an important source of iron and zinc for dryland tropics, has been studied to identify key genes and pathways related to mineral pathways under stress conditions. The results provide valuable insights for developing biofortified pearl millet varieties and improving nutrition in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sachin Kumar, Ron M. DePauw, Sudhir Kumar, Jitendra Kumar, Sourabh Kumar, Madhav P. Pandey
Summary: Micronutrient malnutrition affects over two billion people worldwide, especially in developing nations. Agronomic and genetic interventions can improve the bioavailability of key micronutrients. The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research prioritizes the development of biofortified crops rich in minerals and vitamins. 242 biofortified varieties of 11 major crops have been released in 30 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Fahad Shafiq, Aqsa Ahmad, Sumera Anwar, Mehr-un Nisa, Muhammad Iqbal, Syed Hammad Raza, Arslan Mahmood, Muhammad Ashraf
Summary: In this study, we synthesized a spinel nanocomposite and investigated its effectiveness in improving the micronutrient status and yield traits of rice. The results showed that foliar application of this nanocomposite can enhance rice grain yield and improve its nutritional quality, with significant changes in biochemical traits. These findings suggest that micronutrient supply in the form of a nanocomposite can positively regulate nutritional quality and rice grain yield.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Roberta Marra, Nadia Lombardi, Alessandro Piccolo, Navid Bazghaleh, Pratibha Prashar, Albert Vandenberg, Sheridan Woo
Summary: Biofortification of crops through agricultural interventions is important for supplying micronutrients in poor rural populations. Soil microbes, especially Trichoderma fungi, can enhance plant growth and nutrient absorption. In this study, different Trichoderma strains and their bioactive metabolites were applied to lentil plants, leading to increased mineral content and improved crop yield.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ines Carmo Luis, Fernando C. Lidon, Claudia Campos Pessoa, Ana Coelho Marques, Ana Rita F. Coelho, Manuela Simoes, Manuel Patanita, Jose Dores, Jose C. Ramalho, Maria Manuela Silva, Ana Sofia Almeida, Isabel P. Pais, Maria Fernanda Pessoa, Fernando Henrique Reboredo, Paulo Legoinha, Mauro Guerra, Roberta G. Leitao, Paula Scotti Campos
Summary: This study found that the enrichment of Zn in wheat grains is influenced by soil conditions, genotype, and fertilization type. Different fertilization methods have varying effects on the Zn content in wheat grains of different genotypes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Fatemeh Shoormij, Aghafakhr Mirlohi, Ghodratollah Saeidi, Mehran Shirvani
Summary: This study examined the response of wheat species with different ploidy levels to foliar application of zinc and iron under different water regimes. The research found that the combined application of zinc and iron significantly increased yield and alleviated yield reduction caused by water stress. Applying zinc and iron also increased micronutrient content in grains. Tetra and hexaploid species had higher yields and were less affected by water stress. All ploidy levels responded similarly to zinc and iron treatments.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Amandeep Kaur, Guriqbal Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Salwinder Singh Dhaliwal, Vivek Sharma
Summary: The combined foliar application of Fe and urea at the flowering and pod formation stages proved to be the most effective in increasing lentil grain yield and enriching it with Fe and Zn.
COMMUNICATIONS IN SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT ANALYSIS
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhengyu Wen, Philomin Juliana, Harshaant S. Dhugga, Mario Pacheco, Ulises I. Martinez, Agustin Aguilar, Maria I. Ibba, Velu Govindan, Ravi P. Singh, Kanwarpal S. Dhugga
Summary: Biofortification of cereal grains provides a long-term solution for combating micronutrient deficiency in developing countries. This study developed a high-throughput assay for quantifying phytic acid (PA) content and demonstrated its utility in breeding programs. Genome-wide association study identified genetic associations with PA content.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Vivek Sharma, Mukesh Choudhary, Pawan Kumar, Jeet Ram Choudhary, Jaswant S. Khokhar, Prashant Kaushik, Srinivas Goli
Summary: Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly iron and zinc, affect over three billion people globally, especially in developing nations where diet is cereal-based. Wheat, a key cereal crop, has inherently low bioavailability of zinc and iron, but developing mineral-enriched wheat cultivars offers a sustainable solution to malnutrition. Recent advances in genomics and molecular biology indicate the potential for high-yielding, biofortified wheat varieties.
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Vincent Verbeecke, Laura Custodio, Simon Strobbe, Dominique Van Der Straeten
Summary: Metabolic engineering through biofortification has been proposed as an effective method to address micronutrient malnutrition. Recent recognition of underutilized orphan crops has shown their potential in alleviating nutritional concerns. This review provides a roadmap for evaluating orphan crops and focuses on iron, zinc, provitamin A, and folates as important micronutrients for biofortification.
BIOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCES
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Noureddine El Haddad, Hafssa Kabbaj, Meryem Zaim, Khaoula El Hassouni, Amadou Tidiane Sall, Mounira Azouz, Rodomiro Ortiz, Michael Baum, Ahmed Amri, Fernanda Gamba, Filippo Maria Bassi
Summary: Crop wild relatives are a valuable genetic resource for crop improvement, showing resistance to certain fungal diseases. However, they exhibit differences in drought tolerance and temperature-stress tolerance compared to cultivated varieties.
Article
Agronomy
Sebastian Raubach, Benjamin Kilian, Kate Dreher, Ahmed Amri, Filippo M. Bassi, Ousmane Boukar, Douglas Cook, Alan Cruickshank, Christian Fatokun, Noureddine El Haddad, Alan Humphries, David Jordan, Zacharia Kehel, Shiv Kumar, Sandy Jan Labarosa, Loi Huu Nguyen, Emma Mace, Susan McCouch, Ken McNally, David F. Marshall, Erick Owuor Mikwa, Iain Milne, Damaris Achieng Odeny, Mariola Plazas, Jaime Prohens, Loren H. Rieseberg, Roland Schafleitner, Shivali Sharma, Gordon Stephen, Huynh Quang Tin, Abou Togola, Emily Warschefsky, Peter Werner, Paul D. Shaw
Summary: The management and distribution of experimental data from prebreeding projects is crucial for uptake of germplasm into breeding and research programs. The use of a common informatics platform across multiple species provides economies of scale and reduces barriers for researchers to access and share data. The updates to the Germinate platform highlight its value in distributing prebreeding data and demonstrate the benefits of a shared informatics platform for breeding and research communities.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Dil Thavarajah, Tristan Lawrence, Sarah Powers, Boone Jones, Nathan Johnson, Joshua Kay, Anuruddha Bandaranayake, Emerson Shipe, Pushparajah Thavarajah
Summary: The study evaluated the genetic variation in biomass, prebiotic carbohydrates, and minerals of kale varieties adapted to the organic system. Significant genetic variation was found in both commercial cultivars and germplasm, indicating potential for improvement in kale's nutritional quality through germplasm selection in organic production.
JOURNAL OF FOOD COMPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Outmane Bouhlal, Jean Raymond Affricot, Damiano Puglisi, Adil El-Baouchi, Fatima El Otmani, Mostafa Kandil, Abdellatif Hafidi, Mesut Keser, Miguel Sanchez-Garcia, Andrea Visioni
Summary: Barley in Morocco is primarily used for food and feed, but there is an increasing demand for imported malt by local industries. This study evaluated 36 barley elite lines for grain physicochemical parameters and malt quality traits, showing significant genotypic variation among them. High heritability was obtained for most traits, and correlations between different parameters were identified, providing valuable information for future breeding programs.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BREWING CHEMISTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dil Thavarajah, Tristan J. Lawrence, Sarah E. Powers, Joshua Kay, Pushparajah Thavarajah, Emerson Shipe, Rebecca McGee, Shiv Kumar, Rick Boyles
Summary: This study evaluated different cultivars of dry pea in organic farms and aimed to develop high-yielding and nutritionally rich organic dry pea. The results showed variations in seed yield, protein, and prebiotic carbohydrate content of dry pea, as well as the effects of cultivars, environment, and interactions on other nutritional traits.
Article
Plant Sciences
Athanasios L. Tsivelikas, Hajer Ben Ghanem, Adil El-Baouchi, Zakaria Kehel
Summary: Rainfall and temperature variability in Mediterranean environments present uncertainty for crop growth, impacting farmers. A study on barley varieties and landraces in Tunisia showed significant genotypic effects on agronomic and physiological traits. High-yielding lines performed well under drought conditions, but genotype x environment interaction affected grain yield.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Dinakaran Elango, Karthika Rajendran, Liza Van der Laan, Sheelamary Sebastiar, Joscif Raigne, Naveen A. Thaiparambil, Noureddine El Haddad, Bharath Raja, Wanyan Wang, Antonella Ferela, Kevin O. Chiteri, Mahendar Thudi, Rajeev K. Varshney, Surinder Chopra, Arti Singh, Asheesh K. Singh
Summary: Raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) are widely distributed in the plant kingdom and have various beneficial effects in plants and humans. However, they are considered anti-nutritional factors for causing flatulence in humans and animals. RFOs provide tolerance to plant stress and have prebiotic potential in the human intestine.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Noureddine El Haddad, Miguel Sanchez-Garcia, Andrea Visioni, Abderrazek Jilal, Rola El Amil, Amadou Tidiane Sall, Wasihun Lagesse, Shiv Kumar, Filippo M. Bassi
Summary: Crop wild relatives (CWR) are a valuable source of alleles for climate change adaptation. Testing 19 durum wheat, 24 barley, and 24 lentil elites incorporating CWR showed significant G, E, and GxE effects. Selecting six CWR-derived elites for each crop matching or superior to the best check, with climate factors influencing grain yield and defining mega-environments. Germplasm assessment for food transformation characteristics showed superior performance in several traits, supporting the use of CWR in breeding programs for adaptation and value addition.
Article
Plant Sciences
Noureddine El Haddad, Hasnae Choukri, Michel Edmond Ghanem, Abdelaziz Smouni, Rachid Mentag, Karthika Rajendran, Kamal Hejjaoui, Fouad Maalouf, Shiv Kumar
Summary: High temperature and water deficit have a significant negative impact on lentil yield and quality, with the combined temperature-drought stress having a more severe effect. Genotypes with lower breakpoints exhibit better yield and water use efficiency under high temperature and drought conditions.
Article
Horticulture
Tony Reda, Sarah E. Powers, Dil Thavarajah
Summary: This study aimed to determine the best kale cultivars and relatives for organic growing conditions in the fall. Significant differences were found in biomass, mineral nutrients, and prebiotic carbohydrates among different genotypes. Certain cultivars showed higher biomass and mineral concentrations under organic production conditions.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Hasnae Choukri, Noureddine El Haddad, Khawla Aloui, Kamal Hejjaoui, Adil El-Baouchi, Abdelaziz Smouni, Dil Thavarajah, Fouad Maalouf, Shiv Kumar
Summary: High temperature during the reproductive stage negatively affects the growth and development of lentil, resulting in decreased yield and nutritional quality. This study found that high temperature reduced protein, iron, and zinc concentrations in lentils, as well as shortened cooking time and increased phytic acid levels. These findings are important for developing biofortified lentil cultivars to combat micronutrient malnutrition.
FRONTIERS IN NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Khawla Aloui, Hasnae Choukri, Noureddine El Haddad, Priyanka Gupta, Keltoum El Bouhmadi, Peter M. F. Emmrich, Akanksha Singh, Anne Edwards, Fouad Maalouf, Outmane Bouhlal, Jasmine Staples, Shiv Kumar
Summary: This study investigated the effects of heat and heat combined with drought stress on the physiological and phenological parameters, yield-related factors, ODAP content, and seed protein of Grasspea. The results showed that heat stress and combined heat with drought stress expedited phenology, reduced protein content, and increased ODAP content. Six accessions were identified as having favorable combination of yield, protein content, and seed ODAP levels under stress conditions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Aouatif Benali, Noureddine El Haddad, Somanagouda B. Patil, Aakash Goyal, Kamal Hejjaoui, Adil El Baouchi, Fatima Gaboun, Mouna Taghouti, Mohammed Ouhssine, Shiv Kumar
Summary: This study assessed the impact of heat and drought stresses on chickpea growth, yield, grain size, and nutritional quality. The results showed significant decreases in plant height, yield, and protein content under stress conditions. Variation in mineral content was also observed. The findings have important implications for selecting tolerant genotypes and maintaining good grain quality.
