Micronutrient Biofortification: A Dual Strategy for Provoking Plant Primary and Secondary Metabolism and Food Security

Dear Colleagues,

Biofortification of essential micronutrients such as zinc, iron, and iodine is a sustainable, effective, and low-cost strategy for addressing nutrient deficiencies in humans. Hidden hunger is a form of malnutrition that is often not easily visible. Besides playing a role in plant growth and development, micronutrients have multiple functions, including enhancing plant stress tolerance. For instance, zinc and iron exhibit a remarkable impact in diminishing heavy metal toxicity (e.g., Cd) in addition to mitigating salinity and drought stress. Furthermore, hence micronutrients are involved in many biochemical and physiological processes; they might influence plant primary and secondary metabolism. Selenium the beneficial trace element for plants, is recognized as an essential nutrient for humans and animals. Since the 1980s, selenium biofortification has been implemented in areas with selenium-deficient soil to enrich food crops and enhance human health status. As an analogue of sulfur, selenium shares the same sulfur assimilatory pathway. Consequently, it can improve protein quality and secondary metabolism.

In this Special Issue, we invite researchers with distinguished expertise in this area to contribute original research articles, short communications, and critical reviews. This will provide an extensive current level of knowledge on the advancements in the primary and secondary metabolism associated with micronutrient enrichment, including the role of micronutrient biofortification in (i) determining the crop’s nutritional and quality attributes and indices, (ii) improving and developing stress tolerance against various biotic and abiotic stress factors, (iii) inducing metabolic reprogramming by affecting secondary metabolite productions, (v) strengthening the medicinal significance and therapeutic properties of food crops, and (iv) assessing environmental sustainability and food security.

Prof. Dr. Karl H. Mühling
Dr. Muna Ali Abdalla
Guest Editors

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