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Plant Science Today (PST)

Review Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp5 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Global research trends in sorghum biofortification: A bibliometric analysis of publication patterns, knowledge structures and emerging research priorities

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.16296
Submitted
23 June 2026
Published
27-09-2026

Abstract

Biofortification is a process aimed at enhancing the nutrient content of crops to address malnutrition. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is recognised as a crop with substantial micronutrient content and has gained increasing attention in biofortification research. In this study, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to assess the evolution, structure and gaps in global sorghum biofortification research over the past 25 years (2001–25). A total of 127 documents indexed in the Scopus database were identified based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and analysed using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer. The results indicate a sustained increase in research output, particularly after 2013, with an annual growth rate of 13.75 %, alongside a shift in research focus from processing and nutritional studies toward genetic biofortification approaches. Citation patterns reveal geographic concentration of research productivity, with India recording the highest citation count (851), although such metrics primarily reflect publication volume rather than intrinsic research impact. According to Bradford’s law, the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry was identified as the leading source in this research area. Among the institutions involved, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) was the leading contributor. The most frequently occurring author keywords were “sorghum”, “iron (Fe)”, “zinc (Zn)”, “biofortification” and “nutritional value”. Knowledge structure analysis revealed major thematic domains related to micronutrient biofortification, plant breeding, nutritional quality and bioavailability. The study also identified major research gaps and limitations. Emerging research priorities include advanced breeding technologies, long-term validation studies, nutritional impact assessment and adoption-oriented research. Overall, the study highlights a technologically advancing but structurally fragmented research landscape and underscores the need for interdisciplinary and translational approaches to enhance the impact of sorghum biofortification on food and nutritional security.

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