Acceleration of the genetic gain for nutraceutical improvement of adlay (Coix L.) through genomic approaches: current status and future prospects

Coix is a minor cereal crop with various applications in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Coix seed is called "Green Food", because of its high unsaturated fatty acid content with minimal toxic residues and heavy metals. Coix can be an excellent choice as a dietary supplement because of diverse bioactive compounds including phenols, flavonoids, polysaccharides, fibers, lipids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals with significant therapeutic effects such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, and immunomodulatory, among others. The least attention has been given to the improvement of new elite cultivars of coix with high nutritional values and nutraceutical effects. To date, very few genomic studies, in particular, draft genome and de novo sequencing have been conducted to discover the genes responsible for nutritional traits and their molecular mechanisms that are insufficient for the efficient use of existing germplasms for molecular breeding of coix. Therefore, this review article attempts to highlight bioactive compounds identified from coix with their medicinal uses as well as the recent progress in coix genomic studies which will create research scope for the development of nutrient-rich coix varieties with high therapeutic values.