Advances in genomics-assisted breeding strategies for enhancing nutrient uptake and use efficiency in cereals: A pathway toward sustainable agriculture

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• Genomics tools accelerate nutrient uptake improvement in cereals. • CRISPR/Cas9 aids precise editing of nutrient-efficiency genes. • QTL and GWAS reveal key loci for N, P, Fe, and Zn uptake. • Multi-omics identifies regulatory networks for nutrient use efficiency. • HTP and HTG enable rapid phenotyping of root and uptake traits. Staple cereals such as rice, wheat, and maize are key to food security by providing the bulk of calories consumed worldwide. However, cereal productivity is often limited by inefficient uptake and utilization of essential nutrients, including N, P, Fe, and Zn especially under stress conditions. Enhancing nutrient uptake efficiency (NutrUE) in staple crops is crucial to reducing fertilizer inputs, supporting sustainable agriculture, and securing food and nutrition for future generations. The present review discusses recent advancements in genomics-assisted breeding (GAB) aimed at improving nutrient uptake (NU) in major cereals. This review delineates the biochemical and molecular underpinnings of NU, emphasizing how genomics tools such as QTL mapping, GWAS, GS, and CRISPR/Cas9 enable the dissection and targeted improvement of multifactorial NU and NutrUE-related traits. Additionally, it also explored the high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) and genotyping (HTG) platforms, including imaging techniques like MRI, X-Ray CT, and UAV-based RGB/Multispectral imaging, aligned with next-generation sequencing which enable precise and rapid characterization for NU and NutrUE-related traits. Furthermore, the review addresses how multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics) contribute to the identification of candidate genes and regulatory pathways associated with NU. Ultimately, this integrated approach provides valuable strategies and insights for researchers, breeders, and policymakers working in accelerating the development of NU and NutrUE cereal cultivars, thereby supporting agricultural sustainability and global hunger prevention.