Biofortification & hidden hunger

Zinc and iron deficiency, the “hidden hunger” of diets that fill the stomach without meeting mineral needs, affect a large share of the world population, and cereals grown on nutrient poor soils are part of the reason. Biofortification raises the concentration of these elements in the edible parts of crops. It can also be done genetically, through breeding; our lab works on agronomic biofortification, with soil and foliar fertilizers.

We test how fertilization strategy, nitrogen status and growing conditions change the accumulation of zinc, selenium, iron and iodine in wheat grain and in vegetables. The experiments start in nutrient solution and continue in the field and in indoor vertical farms, where leafy greens can be enriched with selenium during production.

What we have found

In wheat, nitrogen is a lever for zinc and iron: plants with a good nitrogen status accumulate more of both elements in the grain, and the gain reaches the endosperm rather than staying in the bran. This link between nitrogen management and grain micronutrients became one of the recurring themes of agronomic zinc biofortification, which we reviewed together with İsmail Çakmak in 2018. In an indoor vertical farm, we showed that the sulfur supply of the nutrient solution changes how much selenium leafy greens take up and how selenium affects their yield and nutritional quality, so the two elements have to be managed together. The publications listed below carry the details.