Transition From Targeted Breeding to Mainstreaming of Biofortification Traits in Crop Improvement Programs

Area of Science:

• Agricultural science
• Human nutrition
• Plant breeding

Background:

• Micronutrient deficiencies in iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and provitamin A (PVA) impact human health globally.
• Biofortification breeding aims to increase these essential micronutrients in staple crops.
• HarvestPlus and partners are advancing biofortification through strategic research and crop delivery plans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the successes of targeted biofortification breeding.
• To discuss the relevance of mainstreaming biofortification traits in crop development.
• To outline strategies for scaling biofortification to reach billions by 2030.

Main Methods:

• Product-based impact pathway integrating crop breeding, nutrition research, and impact assessment.
• Development and release of 393 biofortified crop varieties across 63 countries.
• Initiation of mainstreaming strategies in select Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) centers.

Main Results:

• Targeted breeding has benefited over 48 million people by 2020.
• Efficacy studies confirm the nutritional benefits of biofortified varieties.
• Mainstreaming aims to integrate biofortification into competitive public and private sector crop varieties.

Conclusions:

• Targeted breeding has achieved significant progress, laying the foundation for mainstreaming.
• Mainstreaming biofortification traits is essential for sustainable scaling to billions.
• Future efforts will leverage high-throughput phenotyping, genomic selection, and speed breeding for accelerated genetic gains.