Genetic Variation and Enhancement for Nutritional Quality in Lentil.

Lentil is an important pulse crop since its domestication in the Fertile Crescent of the Near East.  Its seed is used for human food and straw is a valued animal feed. Lentil seed is an important source of protein, carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, unsaturated fatty acids, and micronutrients for health and nutritional security of the low-income people of Asia and Africa. Lentil seeds contain 19.5 to 35.5% protein, and between 35 and 55% carbohydrates. Compared with carbohydrate sources from cereals, tubers and pulses, lentil carbohydrates have a low glycemic index, thus contributes positively to the health of people suffering from diabetes. Potassium and phosphorus with concentrations up to 8.6 g/kg and 29 g/kg, respectively, are the major minerals present in lentil seed. As iron and zinc deficiency is acute in many developing countries, biofortification through genetic manipulation for high Iron  and Zinc in lentil seed became a major researchable issue. Enormous variability have been observed in germplasm, breeding lines and released cultivars with a range of 41 to132 mg/kg for iron and 22 to 78 mg/kg for zinc.  Some released varieties from Nepal, Ethiopia, Syria, Turkey, Portugal, Bangladesh and Syria showed high concentrations of Fe and Zn which are being cultivated by farmers. Hybridization between high Fe and Zn parents has led to the development of  transgressive F₅ progenies with >146 mg/kg of Fe and >87 mg/kg of Zn. Twenty seven lentil lines with high iron and zinc contents are made available to  national programs through international nursery network.