Moving micronutrients from the soil to the seeds: genes and physiological processes from a biofortification perspective

Brian M Waters; Renuka P Sankaran

doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2010.12.003

Moving micronutrients from the soil to the seeds: genes and physiological processes from a biofortification perspective

Plant Sci. 2011 Apr;180(4):562-74. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2010.12.003. Epub 2010 Dec 13.

Authors

Brian M Waters¹, Renuka P Sankaran

Affiliation

¹ Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0915, USA. bwaters2@unl.edu

PMID: 21421405
DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2010.12.003

Abstract

The micronutrients iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) are essential for plants and the humans and animals that consume plants. Increasing the micronutrient density of staple crops, or biofortification, will greatly improve human nutrition on a global scale. This review discusses the processes and genes needed to translocate micronutrients through the plant to the developing seeds, and potential strategies for developing biofortified crops.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Biological Transport / genetics
Copper / metabolism*
Food, Fortified
Genes, Plant*
Iron / metabolism*
Micronutrients / metabolism*
Plant Roots / metabolism
Plant Shoots / metabolism
Plants / genetics*
Plants / metabolism
Rhizosphere
Soil / chemistry*
Xylem / metabolism
Zinc / metabolism*

Substances

Micronutrients
Soil
Copper
Iron
Zinc