Executive Summary : | Food and nutritional insecurity are global concerns nowadays and the present staple foods are insufficient to meet the rising food demand with a growing population. On the other hand, abrupt climatic changes are posing serious threat to plant growth and development. Current and projected UV-B levels and their detrimental impact on agricultural crops have become a serious concern to plant biologists. Even after the successful implementation of the Montreal Protocol, UV-B radiation on this Earth’s surface due to depletion in stratospheric ozone layer is still serious issue. Recent reports are now suggesting – “Hole in Ozone Protective Treaty” – as many other anthropogenic and natural components in the atmosphere are significantly disturbing ozone layer in the stratosphere and they were not included under Montreal Protocol. Researchers have speculated that climate change will restrict the accessibility of crops rich in micronutrients, ultimately leading to micronutrient malnutrition, which is serious concerns throughout the Globe. about 821 million people are malnourished, and about one-third of the women during their reproductive-age are anemic, while 20 million newly born babies are underweight. These problems are more severe in economically deprived societies of the developing nations This hidden hunger is alone responsible for the reduction of GDP by 11% every year in both Asia and Africa. Minor millets have several phytochemicals and micronutrients that play beneficial roles in the immune system of humans. Apart from nutraceutical properties, they are also enriched with antioxidants, that have potential beneficial roles during diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, etc. People having cardiovascular diseases are expected to exceed by 23.6 million at the end of 2030, providing a significant boost to millet consumption. Proso and barnyard millets are highly nutritious in comparison to rice, wheat and maize. Several reports are suggesting the better tolerance of proso and barnyard millets under stressful conditions and making them “Future crop”. Keeping current and futuristic climate changing scenarios in mind, it becomes very important to analyze resilience capacity of these underutilized minor millets under elevated UV-B radiation. Further, presence of few antinutritional factors like Phytate, tannins, protease inhibitors, and oxalates in millets are affecting its popularity and contribution as a food product and thus reducing its share towards the economy. Still, there is a lack of minor millet-based food products in the commercial market. Therefore, an attempt shall be made under this proposal for the removal of antinutritional factors. Now it is necessary to focus on those crop varieties that endure multiple environmental stress factors and subsequently to monitor the impact of elevated UV-B radiation on millet plants which will be helpful to elucidate the molecular mechanism of stress tolerance. |