Background:
Malnutrition is a major issue in the present day that develops when the body is deprived of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. Malnutrition occurs in people who are either undernourished or over nourished. Among all the micro nutrient Zinc (Zn) is increasingly recognized as an essential trace element in the human diet that mediates a plethora of health conditions, including immune response to infectious diseases. Zinc malnutrition is high due to excessive consumption of rice with low zinc content. Interventions such as dietary diversification, food fortification, supplementation, and bio-fortification are followed to address zinc malnutrition. Among these, Zn bio-fortification of rice is most encouraging, cost-effective, and sustainable solution to overcome zinc deficiency.

Technology Details:
DRR Dhan 45 is the first biofortified rice high yielding variety with high zinc grain content (20 ppm). DRR Dhan 45 is a single plant selection for high yield, long slender grain type, intermediate amylose content, high head rice recovery, high zinc content, desirable eating and cooking quality traits followed by pedigree method of selection. It is of medium early duration of 130 days maturity. DRR Dhan 45 has shown a yield advantage of 37.1% over Samba Mahsuri and 17.2% over IR64. It showed the other desirable characters of strong culm, erect flag leaf and completely exerted panicles with drooping curvature of main axis. It has recorded 55.6% head rice recovery, intermediate ASV(3.5), amylose content (21.11%) and gel consistency (54 mm).