title: Iron nutrition, biomass production, and plant product quality.
abstract: One of the grand challenges in modern agriculture is increasing biomass production, while improving plant product quality, in a sustainable way. Of the minerals, iron (Fe) plays a major role in this process because it is essential both for plant productivity and for the quality of their products. Fe homeostasis is an important determinant of photosynthetic efficiency in algae and higher plants, and we review here the impact of Fe limitation or excess on the structure and function of the photosynthetic apparatus. We also discuss the agronomic, plant breeding, and transgenic approaches that are used to remediate Fe deficiency of plants on calcareous soils, and suggest ways to increase the Fe content and bioavailability of the edible parts of crops to improve human diet.
authors.affiliation: Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Université Montpellier 2, SupAgro Bâtiment 7, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France. Electronic address: briat@supagro.inra.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Briat
authors.affiliation: Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Université Montpellier 2, SupAgro Bâtiment 7, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dubos
authors.affiliation: Biochimie et Physiologie Moléculaire des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Université Montpellier 2, SupAgro Bâtiment 7, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gaymard
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D001709:Biotechnology; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007501:Iron
keywords: biofortification; chlorosis; iron; photosynthesis; yield