Climate-Resilient Cultivation of Rice under Agronomic Bio-fortification with Iron and Zinc

Abstract

Iron and zinc deficiencies are the major global public health challenges, in rice-dependent regions. The nutritional intakes fall short of the Recommended Dietary Allowances due to deficiencies in two important micronutrients, leading to low productivity, widespread malnutrition, impaired cognitive development, and weakened immunity. Rice is a staple food for most of the Asian continent, but conventional practice like the transplanted method leads to higher environmental pollution. Hence, direct-seeded rice is a more sustainable alternative. Bio-fortification of rice offers a sustainable and cost-effective strategy to enhance grain micronutrient quantity and improve nutritional security among people with limited access to diverse foods. Among the various bio-fortification pathways, agronomic bio-fortification has emerged as a practical approach that can be readily integrated into the prevailing production systems. This review highlights about nutri-priming which enhances early seedling vigour and micronutrient uptake, soil fertilisation which helps in creating baseline nutrient reserves, foliar application which is essential for guarantee micronutrient delivery at critical growth stages and microbial inoculants, such as iron and zinc solubilizing bacteria to improve micronutrient availability through biochemical transformation. Optimization of the agronomic bio-fortification protocols along with their integration with the recommended dose of fertilizers can substantially contribute to reducing micronutrient deficiency and achieving long-term nutritional resilience.