Micronutrient deficiencies affect over half the world’s human population. Biofortification may be an important component of a food system approach to reducing micronutrient malnutrition. Agronomic biofortification involves adding such micronutrients as zinc, iron, selenium and iodine either to the soil at planting or as a foliar spray when food crops are growing.

1. The Waite Research Institute
FOODplus Research Centre
Scientific Seminar Series – 2010
#2
Dr Graham Lyons
Life Impact | The University of Adelaide

2. Improving human nutrition through food
systems: studies in China, Colombia and
Melanesia
Graham Lyons
University of Adelaide
Hui Mao
Northwest Agric & Forestry University
Shaanxi, China

3. Global Micronutrient Deficiencies
> 3 billion people afflicted
(Map from USAID)

4. HarvestPlus Food Systems Program
• Africa: Mixed fertiliser strategy for smallholders
• Colombia: Cassava biofortification with
zinc, selenium, iodine, iron
• China: Shaanxi agronomic
biofortification trials
• Solomon Islands & PNG: orange-fleshed sweet potato
program
• Pig feeding trial: lutein & iron uptake
• Selenium clinical trial/ Zinc oral rehydration trial v
diarrhoea

5. Roadside market, SW Uganda

6. Banana transport, SW Uganda

7. Volcanoes near Uganda/Rwanda/Congo border

8. Agronomic biofortification of cassava with Se, Zn, I
at CIAT, Colombia, South America

9. Harvest of biofortified cassava, Colombia

10. Selenium deficiency/KBD/KD
• Fig.1 Distribution of Se deficient soils (adapted from Tan
2004)
 Fig. 2 The distribution of prevalence of Keshan and Kaschin-beck disease
in China (adapted from Tan 2004)

11. Yongshou
NWAFU

18. Total soil Se is unrelated to plant
available Se
Location Total soil Se Se in wheat grain
ppb ppb
Yongshou, China 700 20
Minnipa, SA 80 720
Charlick, SA 85 70
Dedza, Zimbabwe 30,000 7
G Lyons (unpublished)

19. Glasshouse and field trials M&M
• Glasshouse pot trial 2006
– Crops species: Maize, soybean, potato and cabbage
– Field soil
– Fertiliser: Nil, NPK, NPK+SM (soil applied
SeZnI), NPK+ FM (foliar applied
SeZnFeI), NPK+SFM
• Field trials 2007 to 2009
– Crops:
maize, soybean, potato, cabbage, wheat, canola
– Fertiliser: Nil, NP, NP+ZnSeI (single and
combination), NP+BCuCoMo (soil)+FeMn

21. Results
Pot trial: biomass and yield
Biomass (g/pot) Grain yield (g/pot)
Treatments Maize Soybean Maize Soybean
Nil 65.8bc 22.6b 29.4b 7.0c
NPK 53.1c 24.2b 29.1b 8.6bc
NPK+SM 90.7a 47.9a 51.1a 11.1b
NPK+FM 54.8bc 22.3b 19.5c 8.8bc
NPK+SFM 71.6b 44.9a 34.0b 15.0a

22. Potato
Soybean

23. Pot trial: leaf micronutrient concentrations
45 Nil 350
Zinc
Se concentration in leaf (mg kg-1 DW)
Zn concentration in leaf (mg kg-1 DW)
40 NPK
300
35 Selenium NPK+SM
250
30 NPK+FM
25 NPK+SFM 200
20
150
15
100
10
5 50
0
0
maize soybean cabbage potato 35 maize soybean cabbage potato
Iodine
I concentration in leaf (mg kg-1 DW)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
maize soybean cabbage potato

24. Biofortified maize

25. Field trial: crop yield
Yield
Treatments Cabbage Wheat(kg/ha) Canola(kg/ha)
(g/plant)
Nil 13.3 d 1885 c 386 a
NP 97.7 ab 4285 ab 415 a
NP+ Soil Se 129.7 a 3991 b 384 a
NP+ Soil Zn 63.4 bc 4167 b 490 a
NP+ Soil I 51.8 c 3957 b 528 a
NP+ Soil Se Zn I 58.0 c 4104 b 431 a
NP+SM+FM 51.9 c 4391 ab 423 a
NP+SoilSeZnI+SM+FM 55.2 c 4702 a 480 a

26. Field trial: Se concentrations in edible parts of crops
14
12
Se concentration (mg kg-1 DW)
10
8
6
4
2
0
maize soybean potato cabbage wheat canola
control 0.0106 0.022 0.012 0.082 0.01 0.011
Selenium plus 1.2561 1.751 1.511 13.029 4.5 0.07
fold 118 80 126 159 450 6

27. Field trial: I concentrations in edible parts of crops
1.4
1.2
I concentration (mg kg-1 DW)
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
maize soybean potato cabbage
control 0.012 0.013 0.061 0.49
Iodine 0.025 0.024 0.071 1.2
fold 2 2 1.2 2.5

28. Various colours

29. How to reduce vitamin A deficiency

30. Various colours

31. Various colours