Enhancement of Protein Quality of Maize Using Biotechnological Options

Maize is an important food and feed crop worldwide. It occupies 144.4 m ha globally with a production of 695.2 m tones. The area under maize in India is 7.6 m ha with a production of 14.7 m tones. The essential amino acids like lysine and tryptophan are in reduced quantities in maize. In this context, the story of quality protein maize (QPM) assumes significance. The protein profile of QPM maize is 90% of the milk protein. CIMMYT, Mexico played a significant role in the development of QPM maize. This achievement at CIMMYT paved the way for the transfer of QPM traits to other local/regional inbreds, composites and the synthetic cultivars. Many Asian, African and South American countries including India, China, Mexico, Ghana, Peru and Brazil have commercialized QPM cultivars. Globally QPM occupies 9.0 million acres. India released many CIMMYT QPM hybrids viz., Shaktiman 1, Shaktiman 2, Shaktiman 3, Shaktiman 4, HQPM 1 and HQPM 5, besides few composites. The second jump for the development of QPM hybrids took place in India by developing short duration single cross QPM hybrids by converting the non-QPM inbreds in to QPM by employing marker assisted selection (MAS). This approach saves time and cost for the development of QPM inbreds and hybrids. Following this approach, Vivek QPM 9- a single cross short duration QPM hybrid from VPKAS was developed and released in 2008. This is not only has a better nutritional profile, but also rich in iron and zinc content. QPM maize will help in ensuring the food and nutritional security of the Indian population.