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CHAPTER-3
Advances in
Plant Nutrition and Metabolic Engineering: From Bio-fortification to
Regulatory Innovations
Muhammad Tayyab Mateen1*
 ,
Liaba Nasir2
,
Waqas Mushtaq3
Javaria
Ashiq4
,
Adeel Hafeez5
,
Hassan Mumtaz1
Muhammad
Akmal Sajid6
Muhammad
Usman Amjad6
Maham
Shakeel6
and
Kashaf Ihsan7
1 Department
of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha,
40100, Pakistan
2
Nuclear Institute for Agriculture
and Biology College, Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences
(NIAB-C, PIEAS), Faisalabad, Pakistan
3
Jiangxi Agricultural University,
Key Laboratory of Crop Physiology, Ecology, and Genetic Breeding, Ministry
of Education College of Agronomy, 1101 Fang Zhimin Avenue, Economic and
technological Development Zone, Nanchang 330045, China
4
Wheat Research
Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Jhang Road Faisalabad,
Pakistan
5
Department of Plant
breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha,
Sargodha, 40100, Pakistan
6
Department of Botany,
Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF), Faisalabad, Pakistan
7
Department of
Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University
Faisalabad (GCUF), Faisalabad, Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65970/bk.ips.2025.05
Correspondence:
hmateen005@gmail.com
Peer Reviewed Open Access Chapter
Published in Book: Innovations in Plant Sciences, 1st
edition
Summary
The recent advancements in plant nutrition sciences and metabolic
engineering have provided novel platforms to improve the micronutrient
profile, biochemical performance and metabolic stability of crops. Genetic,
physiological and molecular advances in bio-fortification have made targeted
nutrient enrichment of agronomic performance uncompromising. Meanwhile,
metabolic pathway engineering, with the aid of genomics, transcriptomics,
and highly accurate genome editing, has increased the ability to manipulate
metabolic fluxes and optimize nutrient uptake in different environmental
conditions. These developments have resulted a more mechanistic concept of
metabolic regulation in crop systems, especially with regard to nutrient
transporters, enzymatic bottlenecks and cross-talk in pathways. There has
been a parallel development of regulatory frameworks in response to which
nutrient-enhanced and metabolically engineered crops are being reassessed,
approved and incorporated into agriculture. New models of scientific
oversight are beginning to distinguish more and more between the traditional
forms of transgenic constructs and specific genome edits, allowing a more
liberal process of evaluation of low-risk, targeted amendments. These new
regulations are also leading to the responsible use of engineered
nutritional characteristics and a focus on transparency, environmental
fitness, and traceability. Together, the developments in molecular design,
optimization of nutrient use and progressive regulation are transforming the
extent of plant nutritional enhancement and making metabolic engineering a
core element in the future of agricultural innovation.
Keywords: Plant nutrition, metabolic engineering,
biofortification, plant metabolism, functional genomics, metabolomics,
nutrient use efficiency, synthetic biology, CRISPR, regulatory networks,
sustainable agriculture, crop nutritional quality, precision nutrition, food
security, |
