Abstract
In 1992 the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) began to examine the effect of certain soil characteristics on the iron content of rice grains. As part of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Micronutrients Project, this effort was expanded in 1995 to include analysis of both iron and zinc, in collaboration with the University of Adelaide in Australia. Since then, germplasm screening has shown large genetic variation for iron and zinc concentrations in brown rice. Common cultivars contain about 12 mg of iron and 25 mg of zinc per kilogram. Some traditional varieties have double these amounts. Genetic-by-environmental interactions are sufficiently moderate that breeding for higher iron and zinc content is considered worthwhile. The next major research step will be to further study the genetics of trace mineral accumulation in the grain to determine the best selection techniques for use in breeding. High iron and zinc traits can be combined with improved agronomic traits. This has already been demonstrated in the serendipitous discovery in the IRRI testing programme of an aromatic variety (IR68144-3B-2-2-3) that has a high concentration of grain iron, about 21 mg/kg in brown rice. This elite line has good tolerance to rice tungro virus and to mineral-deficient soils and has excellent grain qualities. The yields are about 10% below those of IR72, but in partial compensation, maturity is earlier. After 15 minutes of polishing, IR68144-4B-2-2-3 had about 80% more iron than IR64, a widely grown commercial variety. It remains to be shown that this extra iron can improve the iron status of iron-deficient human subjects. A human feeding trial is being planned.