Advances in genomics-assisted breeding strategies for enhancing nutrient uptake and use efficiency in cereals: A pathway toward sustainable agriculture

Singh, G and Raigar, O P and Kaur, S and Bishnoi, R and Mondal, K and Abreha, K B and Nayak, A K and Athar, T and Sharma, V and Aziz, D and Gudi, S and Saini, P and Kumar, A N L and Bhardwaj, R and Riar, A (2025) Advances in genomics-assisted breeding strategies for enhancing nutrient uptake and use efficiency in cereals: A pathway toward sustainable agriculture. Plant Stress, 18. pp. 1-22. ISSN 2667-064X

PDF - Published Version Available under License ["licenses_description_cc_attribution" not defined]. Download (5MB)

Abstract

Staple cereals such as rice, wheat, and maize are key to food security by providing the bulk of calories consumed worldwide. However, cereal productivity is often limited by inefficient uptake and utilization of essential nutrients, including N, P, Fe, and Zn especially under stress conditions. Enhancing nutrient uptake efficiency (NutrUE) in staple crops is crucial to reducing fertilizer inputs, supporting sustainable agriculture, and securing food and nutrition for future generations. The present review discusses recent advancements in genomics-assisted breeding (GAB) aimed at improving nutrient uptake (NU) in major cereals. This review delineates the biochemical and molecular underpinnings of NU, emphasizing how genomics tools such as QTL mapping, GWAS, GS, and CRISPR/Cas9 enable the dissection and targeted improvement of multifactorial NU and NutrUE-related traits. Additionally, it also explored the high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) and genotyping (HTG) platforms, including imaging techniques like MRI, X-Ray CT, and UAV-based RGB/Multispectral imaging, aligned with next-generation sequencing which enable precise and rapid characterization for NU and NutrUE-related traits. Furthermore, the review addresses how multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) contribute to the identification of candidate genes and regulatory pathways associated with NU. Ultimately, this integrated approach provides valuable strategies and insights for researchers, breeders, and policymakers working in accelerating the development of NU and NutrUE cereal cultivars, thereby supporting agricultural sustainability and global hunger prevention.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Global Research Program - Accelerated Crop Improvement
CRP:	UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Cereals, Nutrient uptake, Nutrient-use efficiency, QTL mapping, GWAS, High-throughput phenotyping, Multi-omics, Sustainable agriculture
Subjects:	Others > Cereals Others > Sustainable Agriculture Others > Genetics and Genomics
Depositing User:	Mr Nagaraju T
Date Deposited:	09 Mar 2026 09:22
Last Modified:	09 Mar 2026 09:22
URI:	http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/13524
Official URL:	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...
Projects:	UNSPECIFIED
Funders:	UNSPECIFIED
Acknowledgement:	We sincerely appreciate the invaluable contributions, technical suggestions, and collaborative support from the FiBL, ICAR-NBPGR, and ICAR RC for NEH region.
Links:	Google Scholar

View Statistics

Actions (login required)

View Item