Millet-inspired systems metabolic engineering of NUE in crops

The use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agriculture has a great ability to increase crop productivity. However, their excessive use has detrimental effects on the environ-ment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop crop varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) that require less N but have substantial yields. Orphan crops such as millets are cultivated in limited regions and are well adapted to lower input conditions. Therefore, they serve as a rich source of beneficial traits that can be transferred into major crops to improve their NUE. This review high-lights the tremendous potential of systems biology to unravel the enzymes and pathways involved in the N metabolism of millets, which can open new possibili-ties to generate transgenic crops with improved NUE.

Automated summary

The excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers has detrimental effects on the environment. Therefore, developing crop varieties with improved nitrogen use efficiency is necessary. Orphan crops like millets, which are adapted to lower input conditions, can serve as a source of beneficial traits for improving nitrogen use efficiency in major crops. Systems biology can help uncover the enzymes and pathways involved in nitrogen metabolism of millets, contributing to the generation of transgenic crops with improved nitrogen use efficiency.