Background:
Zn deficiency is a global nutritional problem and intensity of the issue is severe in developing countries. Zinc deficiency is associated with poor growth, loss of appetite, skin lesions, impaired taste acuity, delayed wound healing, hypogonadism, delayed sexual maturation, and impaired immune response. Several limitations regarding nutritional diversification and food enrichment favoured Zn bio-fortification as a perpetual solution of malnutrition. There is a need to integrate Zn in rice production systems. Bio-fortification is economically sustainable and practically adoptable solution to overcome the Zn deficiency issue in rice:
Technology details:
DRR Dhan 48 was developed from the cross Improved Samba Mahsuri*2/CSR27 following back cross method. It has low glycaemic index of 51.1 and is bio-fortified for the micronutrient zinc with 27 ppm in brown rice and 22ppm in polished rice and has three major bacterial blight resistance genes xa5, xa13 and Xa21. It is a high yielding medium duration variety (135-140 days) with super fine lustrous medium slender grain type, intermediate amylose content, high head rice recovery (60.9%), high zinc content, desirable eating and cooking quality traits and resistance to bacterial leaf blight. It has strong, non-pigmented grain tip, erect flag leaf, completely exerted panicles with drooping curvature of main axis