Bio-Fortification of Oats Fodder through Zinc Enrichment to Reduce Animal Malnutrition

The availability of poor quality fodders for livestock feeding is a major hurdle for the dairy industry in South Asia. Thelow content of Zn in fodders, leads to its malnutrition in animals. In fodders, Zn facilitates protein synthesis, gene expressions,energy production and involves in various metabolic activities of plants, animals and humans. To achieve these objectives,multi-location field trials were conducted on enrichment of oats fodder with Zn through bio-fortification. The experiment consists ofeight different treatment combinations for enrichment of oats fodder with Zn including control, soil and soil plus foliar application ofZn at different stages of plant growth. The results of the study reported that soil application of Zn at the rate of 25 kg/ha and soil +foliar application of Zn at 0.5% at 60 days after sowing (DAS) (jointing stage), 90 DAS (booting stage) and both 60 DAS and 90DAS showed improvement in plant growth parameters. The results further reported that foliar application of Zn at the rate of 0.5% at60 DAS, 90 DAS, both 60 DAS and 90 DAS reported significant increase in biomass yield and fodder quality. Integrated applicationof Zn at 25 kg/ha in soil along with foliar Zn at the rate of 0.5% at 60 DAS and 90 DAS showed maximum Zn enrichment, greenfodder yield, dry fodder yield, plant height, and Zn accumulation in oats fodder as compared to other treatments of Zn application.These treatments of Zn application through integrated mode also reported significant improvement in fodder quality with maximumcrude protein (CP) and crude protein yield (CPY) while neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), ash content andorganic matter showed a non-significant effect. Thus, the results of experimental study concluded that soil and foliar application ofZn at 25 kg/ha and 0.5% Zn, respectively, at 60 DAS and 90 DAS enhanced the growth, yield and quality of oats fodder which willcertainly improve livestock production through bio-fortification.

Bioavailability of Beta Carotene in Traditional Fermented, Roasted Granules,<i>Gari</i>from Bio-Fortified Cassava Roots

Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is a major public health issue and of global concern, as it affects millions of preschool children and pregnant women worldwide. Bio-fortification has emerged as a technology with potential to sustainably alleviate VAD especially in the sub-Saharan Africa, using staples like cassava. This work studied bioavailability of beta carotene (BC) in two processed gari samples from bio-fortified cassava varieties: 01/1412 and 01/1371, using 40 weanling albino rats, grouped into four, acclimatized for 1 week and fed experimentally for 4 weeks. Plasma beta carotene (PBC) was determined with HPLC while bioavailable BC calculated using conventional linear dose response plot. The mean rat weight gain was 5.3 g with significant difference (p< 0.001) among them while mean PBC was 60.5 and 61.2 μg/dL for 01/1412 and 01/1371 respectively. From this study, a large variation of PBC among animals was found with a weak linear relationship between feed and PBC, showing that BC bioavailability is not limited to intake. The BC bioavailability of the samples was between 11% and 18% with sample from variety 01/1371 recording higher percentage (18%). Gari from bio-fortified cassava roots processed traditionally, had appreciable bioavailable BC, which can contribute to the fight against VAD and improve nutritional status in developing countries although the magnitude of the problem requires a combination of strategies, of which bio-fortification is just one. However, further work is necessary on public awareness and adoption of the product.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) nutrient management using mycorrhizal fungi and endophytic Herbaspirillum seropedicae

Integrated nutrient management with biological and chemical fertilizers can improve rice （Oryza safiva L.） productivity, bio-fortification, soil health and fertility. Accordingly, this study was planned to evaluate the combined effects of biological fertilizers including arbuscular mycorrhizal （AM） fungi （Glomus mosseae） and free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria （Herbaspi- rillum seropedicae）, as well as chemical fertilizers on the yield and nutrient contents of wetland rice under field conditions. Seedlings were inoculated with AM fungi and the bacteria in the nursery and were then transplanted to the field. The experi- ment was carried out as a split factorial design with three replicates. Treatments included three rates of nitrogen （N 1, N2 and N3） and phosphorous （P1, P2 and P3） fertilizers （100, 75 and 50% of the optimum level） in the main plots and mycorrhizal and bacterial treatments in the sub plots. The total of urea （g） used per plot was equal to N1=200, N2=150 and N3=100 at three different growth stages （seeding, tillering and heading） and the total of P （g） per plot used once at seeding using triple super phosphate including P1 =16, P2=13 and P3=10. Plant growth and yield as well as the concentration of nitrogen （N）, phosphorous （P）, potassium （K）, iron （Fe）, and zinc （Zn） were measured in the soil, straw and grains. N-fertilizer and biological fertilizers had significant effects on root, shoot and grain yield of rice, however, P-fertilizer just significantly affected root and shoot dry weights. Interestingly, analyses of variance indicated that biological fertilization significantly affected all the experimental treatments except straw N. AM fungi, N1 and P1 resulted in the highest rate of rice growth and yield. The interactions of chemical and biological fertilization resulted in significant effects on grain Zn, Fe, P, and N as well as soil Fe, K and N. The highest rate of grain nutrient uptake was resulted by the combined use of biological fertilization and the medium level of chemical fertilization. Interestingly, with decreasing the rate of chemical N fertilization, rice nutrient use efficiency increased indicating how biological fertilization can be efficient in providing plants with its essential nutrients such as N. However, the highest rate of soil and straw nutrient concentration was related to the combined use of biologicalfertilization and the highest rate of chemical fertilization. We conclude that biological fertilizer, （mycorrhizal fungi and H. seropedicae） can significantly improve wetland rice growth and yield （resulting in the decreased rate of chemical fertilizer）, espe- cially if combined with appropriate rate of chemical fertilization, by enhancing nutrient uptake （fortification） and root growth.

Genotypic Variation in Spatial Distribution of Fe in Rice Grains in Relation to Phytic Acid Content and Ferritin Gene Expression

Rice varieties having high Fe concentration in the endospermic region can be used as a good source for Fe deficit population.In this study,303 Oryza sativa varieties and 1 Oryza rufipogon accession were assessed for spatial Fe accumulation in grains by Prussian blue staining method.Spatial ferritin protein distribution in grains was visualized by immunohistochemistry,and ferritin expression was assessed in selected rice varieties using semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR.Three popular rice varieties,namely Sarjoo 52,Madhukar and Jalmagna,and the O.rufipogon variety showed Fe in all the regions of grains,and the highest Fe concentration was observed in the embryo region.Some high-yielding varieties like Swarna,Swarna Sub 1,CSR13 and NDRR359 had lower Fe concentration in the embryo region.The highest Fe concentration was detected in O.rufipogon(49.8μg/g),followed by Sarjoo 52(26.1μg/g)and Madhukar(25.7μg/g).Phytic acid concentration was the minimum in O.rufipogon(5.75 mg/g)followed by Sarjoo 52(5.83 mg/g).Western blot and semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR showed higher expression of ferritin gene in O.rufipogon,Sarjoo 52 and Madhukar.In conclusion,O.rufipogon and Sarjoo 52 had higher Fe concentration in the embryo regions as well as endosperm and aleurone layer,whereas the other varieties had lower Fe concentration in the endosperm.Sarjoo 52 could be used as a donor in the rice breeding program for the generation of new varieties with elevated grain Fe concentration.