Micronutrients biofortification of millets: A sustainable approach

Genetically differing, conventional, naturally growing, traditional, or primordial food crops were nutritionally rich especially in micronutrients. These days, micronutrients quantity from the food crops has been dropped and even a few have been missing from the edible crops since the farmers prefer to have more crop production and to make more returns. Further, the farmers are paying more attention to the application of macro elements in the soil, ignoring the importance of microelements. Lessened quantity of micronutrients in soils results in food crops deficient in micronutrients, which ultimately results in ‘hidden hunger’ in humans. To overcome these problems, microbial-facilitated building up of micronutrients is a novel and assuring approach for higher accessibility of nutrients to crop plants and this approach is known as biofortification. Microbial approach is receiving more consideration to upsurge phyto-obtainability of micronutrients, specifically iron and, zinc in the millet crops. Exploitation of distinct types of potential microbes (bacteria and fungi) that encourage plant growth and development is befitting as an efficient and effective tactic to replace manmade fertilizers, supplements, and pesticides. Beneficial microbes use various mechanisms to mobilize the micronutrients from soil to plants such as organic acids production, acidification, metal chelation, and exchange reactions. This review focuses on millets importance and managing the uptake and mobilization of micronutrients (iron/zinc) using microbial approach.