Now more emphasis is being placed on identification and popularization of breeding of "Nutrient Efficient Crops". Is it the right approach now or is there some better alternative?
It is not the question of poor countries to afford but the excessive use of nutrients has several serious implications.There are several reports available in literature which indicate that excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers in rice or wheat invites serious pest,. It also pollutes the environment besides adding to the cost. Even the under ground water is reported to have higher level of nitrates..Breeding for Nutrient efficient crops is the need of the hour to address the issues related to human health and eco-friendly, green and safe environment
I agree with Dr. jasbir Chawla and I think that this is to avoid climate change related conditions, nutrient leaching and also to sustain low-input, resource and energy-efficient agricultural systems. Nowadays, the world face the big problem of climate changes and soil fertility problems from excessive usage of fertilizer. so that breeding of " Nutrient Efficient Crops" is also one of the right solutions to global issue of mineral malnutrition.
Its seems that the reason for it in the U.S. is the rising cost of nitrogen and ecological impacts that can be attributed to nutrient rich runoff. The logic being that if a plant can use nutrients more efficiently there can be a reduction is cost associated with said efficiency. Many states are implementing nutrient runoff plans that manage agricultural and urban nutrient runoff.
Keeping in view the fact that most of the soils in Indo- Gangetic Plains of India are suffering from multinutrient deficiencies on account of predominance of rice wheat cropping systems or other high input intensive cropping systems in other parts of the world, still we will need SITE- SPECIFIC NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT and INTEGRATED NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT for these nutrient efficient crops under crop management. I think judicious management of fertilisers can help in cutting down the cost and envirionment threat as well as restoring the soil health to maintain the higher crop yields and quality food in future?
Site specific and integrated nutrient management may help, undoubtely, especially from the ecology and sustainable agriculture point of view. I think that selecting and breeding nutrient efficient food crops is not enough, considering that efficient uptake od micronutrients, such as Fe and Zn, doesn't automatically mean equally efficient translocation to cereal grains - talking about wheat, rice and maize. Even if there is a genotype with a potential for high micronutrient content in the grain as a whole, dehulling, polishing and food processing diminishes the amount of these minerals in cereal-based diet, which is common in the areas of the world where micronutrient malnutrition exists (so called "hidden hunger"). The another problem is the content of "antinutrient" compounds in cereal grain that may greatly influence on nutrient bioavailability, such as phytate content.
Indeed achievable through :
Article Micronutrient Productivity: A comprehensive Parameter for Bi...
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