Application of Plant Breeding and Genomics for Improved Sorghum and Pearl Millet Grain Nutritional Quality

Malnutrition due to diets with low micronutrient concentration is a major challenge in developing countries. Biofortification—increasing the micronutrient concentration in the plant edible parts through genetic means—is being adopted to address this malnutrition. It is inexpensive, and the food is a continuous nutrient source. Biofortifying the micro- and macro-nutrients of sorghum and pearl millet directly benefits the poor and effectively complements ongoing nutritional programs. Improved cultivars with superior micronutrient density have been developed and disseminated. Diverse germplasm sources with high micronutrient density are being used in crossing programs to mainstream this trait into core breeding activities to further improve nutritional quality. Here, progress made using classical breeding and genomics to improve sorghum and pearl millet nutritional quality is summarized. The integration of advanced genomics tools and plant breeding methods will significantly contribute for rapid enhancement of nutritional value of sorghum and pearl millet to help combat micronutrient malnutrition