Micronutrients like boron, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper, although required in small quantities, are essential for plant health and growth. Excessive use of chemical fertilizers to meet the food demand is resulting in nutrient imbalances in soil, plants, and humans leading to environmental and health problems. Use of biofertilizers is an effective, economical, and sustainable approach to tackle the problem of nutrient imbalance. Biofertilizers help in maintaining the micronutrients in soil and making them available to plants. Zinc malnutrition is one of the biggest problems, as its biological consequences are severe and some of the estimates by international organizations are alarming. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations, 50% of the world's cereal soils are deficient in zinc. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 800,000 people, mainly children under the age of 5, die annually due to the health complications caused by zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency affects about 2 billion people worldwide. Various approaches are being used to combat the zinc deficiency such as increasing bioavailability of Zn to plants resulting in Zn biofortification of crops, use of supplements, and food fortification. To increase the Zn content of the plants, various strategies are used such as application of chemical fertilizers (soil and foliar spray), use of biofertilizers, and use of genetic engineering and plant breeding approaches. This chapter discusses some of the strategies used for the Zn biofortification of cereal crops.
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