Iron pulsing, a cost effective and affordable seed invigoration technique for iron bio-fortification and nutritional enrichment of rice grains

Rice being a major staple food for millions of people, it has been one of the major targets for bio-fortification and iron bio-fortification in rice has been in prime focus to address global micronutrient malnutrition. Commonly practiced methods for obtaining Fe biofortified rice includes soil amendments and foliar spray with iron salts, breeding and development of transgenic rice varieties with Fe-enriched grain are associated with impediments like high cost, labor intensiveness, sub-optimal outcome and approval for commercialization respectively. Iron pulsing technique has reportedly enhanced the carbon and nitrogen assimilation in rice seedlings, which has been translated in yield. Based on the previous findings, in the present study, we have undermined the efficacy of 'iron pulsing', in improving the iron content and nutritional status of rice kernel obtained from pulsed plants. The present study documents that kernel of seeds obtained from iron pulsed plants have a higher amounts of iron, carbohydrate, protein, lipid, vitamins, nutrient and anti-oxidants than that of non-treated ones. The iron localization studies revealed that iron was mostly present in the endosperm and embryo. Besides, the ferritin expression levels also validated the fact that, the treated grains have accumulated more iron. Thus, iron-pulsing can serve as a novel and propitious sustainable agricultural innovation for iron bio-fortification and improvisation of the overall nutritional value of the rice grains that is affordable, user and consumer friendly in years to come.

Automated summary

As rice is a major staple food for millions of people, increasing the iron content in rice is crucial for addressing global micronutrient malnutrition. Previous studies have shown that "iron pulsing" technique can significantly improve the nutritional value of rice by enriching it with iron, carbohydrates, protein, lipids, vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. Therefore, iron pulsing can serve as a novel and promising sustainable agricultural innovation for iron bio-fortification and overall nutritional improvement of rice, while remaining affordable and user-friendly.