THE WORLD'S FOOD SUPPLY
Biofortification carries the potential to improve nutrition in many of the world's staple foods.
It won’t be long before North American farmers start using nutrient management practices to improve the nutritional quality of the crops they grow. Researchers are working to identify nutrient management practices that not only improve crop production and yields, but also improve nutritional quality. Increasing trace element content is the key.
Many of the world’s staple foods such as rice and wheat have fairly low levels of trace elements. According to the World Health Organization, deficiencies of trace elements, particularly zinc and iron, are one of the major causes of childhood death and disability around the world.
“In many areas, particularly in developing countries, poor-quality soils and local subsistence diets are accentuating trace element deficiencies,†says Dr. Cynthia Grant, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Brandon, Manitoba.
Often referred to as “hidden hunger,†trace element deficiencies affect cognitive ability, immune system health and mortality rates, particularly in children. “There are huge efforts around the world to increase the content of trace elements in food. These efforts include HarvestPlus, an international initiative partly funded by the Bill Gates Foundation.â€
HarvestPlus, a global alliance of institutions and scientists, is seeking to improve human nutrition by breeding new varieties of staple food crops that have higher levels of micronutrients. The process is called biofortification.
“With HarvestPlus, the improvement of crop genetics will allow for higher uptake of trace elements, providing soil nutrition is adequate, at the same time as allowing local farmers to reproduce the seed themselves,†says Grant. “This provides a long-term solution at little additional cost or effort per year.â€
North America tends to have soils that are fairly rich in trace elements because soils are young, have higher soil organic matter content and haven’t been greatly leached. “We’re fortunate and should try to take advantage of this opportunity to increase the demand for our crops internationally,†says Grant. “We’ve initiated a research project to look at impacts of various agronomic practices, tillage systems and preceding crops on crop yields and the content of trace elements.â€
The emphasis is on zinc, iron, copper and manganese because those elements are so important nutritionally. For other trace elements like cadmium, a heavy metal, reductions are desired. Crops include red wheat, Durum wheat, barley, flax, canola and soybeans.
In order to build up a reserve of information, Grant is including an analysis of the trace element content in all of her research. “We’re also looking at the protein content in grains, oil quality in canola and soybeans and other factors related to food. We want to determine how management practices affect the nutritional quality of the grains and oilseeds,†she says.
All management practices – fertility, preceding crop and the tillage system – influence not just crop yield, but also the chemistry and biology of the soil. These factors can mobilize trace elements or, in some cases, lead to reduced availability. The basic background level of trace elements in the soil will also have an influence.
Preliminary results show fertilization has varying effects on the trace elements. In some cases, applying higher fertilizer rates may dilute trace elements. Although there is an increase in the overall uptake of the available trace elements, the concentration in the grain decreases because of the higher yielding crop. In other cases, the fertilizer seems to mobilize trace elements in the soil, resulting in both a yield increase and an increase in trace element concentrations. Grant emphasizes this is a “good news†story because eventually producers will have more crop to sell with better nutritional quality.
Selenium is an example of a trace element that can easily be increased with a fertilizer program. Applying only a few grams per acre can result in very large increases in selenium concentrations. However, selenium is one of the elements with the narrowest range of toxicity in humans and animals; levels must be carefully managed. In comparison to other trace elements, selenium tends to be very high in cereal grains.
Much of the Prairies and Great Plains have relatively high levels of selenium, although in some pockets it is low. In many countries, where selenium levels are low, efforts to increase levels through crop fertilization and food supplementation have been in progress for years. For example, the UK and other parts of Europe are noticing that the level of selenium in the overall diet is actually decreasing. This is partly related to the increase in local production of wheat and the reduction in imports of wheat from countries with higher levels of selenium.
“Recent research is showing that higher levels of selenium than were thought to be important in the past may be beneficial in reducing the risk of prostate and other types of cancer,†says Grant. “Selenium in food products tends to be much more bioavailable to the body than supplements, so being able to provide it through grains, for example, would be great.â€
Although Grant won’t have conclusive results for a few months, preliminary findings show that nutritional qualities of grain and oilseed crops are impacted by agronomic practices. As market demands arise, Grant says she thinks growers will find it easy to adjust management practices to produce crops with high nutritional quality.
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THE WORLD'S FOOD SUPPLY
Biofortification carries the potential to improve nutrition in many of the world's staple foods.
It won’t be long before North American farmers start using nutrient management practices to improve the nutritional quality of the crops they grow. Researchers are working to identify nutrient management practices that not only improve crop production and yields, but also improve nutritional quality. Increasing trace element content is the key.
Many of the world’s staple foods such as rice and wheat have fairly low levels of trace elements. According to the World Health Organization, deficiencies of trace elements, particularly zinc and iron, are one of the major causes of childhood death and disability around the world.
“In many areas, particularly in developing countries, poor-quality soils and local subsistence diets are accentuating trace element deficiencies,†says Dr. Cynthia Grant, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Brandon, Manitoba.
Often referred to as “hidden hunger,†trace element deficiencies affect cognitive ability, immune system health and mortality rates, particularly in children. “There are huge efforts around the world to increase the content of trace elements in food. These efforts include HarvestPlus, an international initiative partly funded by the Bill Gates Foundation.â€
HarvestPlus, a global alliance of institutions and scientists, is seeking to improve human nutrition by breeding new varieties of staple food crops that have higher levels of micronutrients. The process is called biofortification.
“With HarvestPlus, the improvement of crop genetics will allow for higher uptake of trace elements, providing soil nutrition is adequate, at the same time as allowing local farmers to reproduce the seed themselves,†says Grant. “This provides a long-term solution at little additional cost or effort per year.â€
North America tends to have soils that are fairly rich in trace elements because soils are young, have higher soil organic matter content and haven’t been greatly leached. “We’re fortunate and should try to take advantage of this opportunity to increase the demand for our crops internationally,†says Grant. “We’ve initiated a research project to look at impacts of various agronomic practices, tillage systems and preceding crops on crop yields and the content of trace elements.â€
The emphasis is on zinc, iron, copper and manganese because those elements are so important nutritionally. For other trace elements like cadmium, a heavy metal, reductions are desired. Crops include red wheat, Durum wheat, barley, flax, canola and soybeans.
In order to build up a reserve of information, Grant is including an analysis of the trace element content in all of her research. “We’re also looking at the protein content in grains, oil quality in canola and soybeans and other factors related to food. We want to determine how management practices affect the nutritional quality of the grains and oilseeds,†she says.
All management practices – fertility, preceding crop and the tillage system – influence not just crop yield, but also the chemistry and biology of the soil. These factors can mobilize trace elements or, in some cases, lead to reduced availability. The basic background level of trace elements in the soil will also have an influence.
Preliminary results show fertilization has varying effects on the trace elements. In some cases, applying higher fertilizer rates may dilute trace elements. Although there is an increase in the overall uptake of the available trace elements, the concentration in the grain decreases because of the higher yielding crop. In other cases, the fertilizer seems to mobilize trace elements in the soil, resulting in both a yield increase and an increase in trace element concentrations. Grant emphasizes this is a “good news†story because eventually producers will have more crop to sell with better nutritional quality.
Selenium is an example of a trace element that can easily be increased with a fertilizer program. Applying only a few grams per acre can result in very large increases in selenium concentrations. However, selenium is one of the elements with the narrowest range of toxicity in humans and animals; levels must be carefully managed. In comparison to other trace elements, selenium tends to be very high in cereal grains.
Much of the Prairies and Great Plains have relatively high levels of selenium, although in some pockets it is low. In many countries, where selenium levels are low, efforts to increase levels through crop fertilization and food supplementation have been in progress for years. For example, the UK and other parts of Europe are noticing that the level of selenium in the overall diet is actually decreasing. This is partly related to the increase in local production of wheat and the reduction in imports of wheat from countries with higher levels of selenium.
“Recent research is showing that higher levels of selenium than were thought to be important in the past may be beneficial in reducing the risk of prostate and other types of cancer,†says Grant. “Selenium in food products tends to be much more bioavailable to the body than supplements, so being able to provide it through grains, for example, would be great.â€
Although Grant won’t have conclusive results for a few months, preliminary findings show that nutritional qualities of grain and oilseed crops are impacted by agronomic practices. As market demands arise, Grant says she thinks growers will find it easy to adjust management practices to produce crops with high nutritional quality.
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