TY - JOUR
T1 - Agronomic Biofortification of Zinc in Pakistan
T2 - Status, Benefits, and Constraints
AU - Rehman, Abdul
AU - Farooq, Muhammad
AU - Ullah, Aman
AU - Nadeem, Faisal
AU - Im, Seon Young
AU - Park, Sang Koo
AU - Lee, Dong Jin
N1 - Funding Information:
The baseline Zn fertilizer (ZnSO4. H2O) use in Pakistan according to industry and published data source is 7.3 kt y−1 (Joy et al., 2017). The increase in grain yield of 8% (Punjab) and 14% (Sindh) were reported with Zn fertilizers use in wheat areas (survey of >2,500 farmers) (Joy et al., 2017). The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) initiated the Harvest plus challenge program on “Biofortified Crops for Improved Human Nutrition” with funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, and USAID in 2004. The target of this program was to enhance the micronutrients (Zn, Fe, and vitamin A) level in staple food crops of the developing world. This program has seven target crops which are staple in developing countries. In Pakistan, this program was focused to develop “nutrient dense wheat genotypes” as wheat which is the primary staple food crop of the country and is low in micronutrients particularly Zn and Fe. The Harvest plus target of wheat grain Zn concentration is 37 mg kg−1 (Bouis and Saltzman, 2017). Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) with the collaboration of Harvest plus and International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) has developed the first Zn wheat cultivar Zincol-2016 having grain Zn concentration of ∼37 mg kg−1 (http://www.parc.gov.pk/index.php/en/wheat-achievements) which is 30% more than most of the cultivated wheat varieties in Pakistan (Hussain et al., 2012b; Rehman et al., 2018d) and is being consumed by ∼0.2 M households.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright © 2020 Rehman, Farooq, Ullah, Nadeem, Im, Park and Lee.
PY - 2020/12/22
Y1 - 2020/12/22
N2 - Micronutrient malnutrition (e.g., zinc) is one of the major causes of human disease burden in the developing world. Zinc (Zn) deficiency is highly prevalent in the Pakistani population (22.1%), particularly in women and children (under 5 years) due to low dietary Zn intake. In Pakistan, wheat is the primary staple food and is poor in bioavailable Zn. However, the number of malnourished populations has decreased over the last decade due to multiplied public awareness, accelerated use of Zn fertilizers (particularly in wheat and rice), initiation of several national/international research initiatives focusing on Zn biofortification in staple crops and availability of supplements and Zn fortified meals merchandise, nonetheless a large number of people are facing Zn or other micronutrient deficiencies in the country. There are few reports highlighting the significant increase in daily dietary Zn uptake in population consuming biofortified wheat (Zincol-2016) flour; indicating the positive prospect of biofortification interventions up scaling in lowering the risk of dietary Zn deficiency in rural and marginalized communities. Zinc fertilizer strategy has not only helped in enhancing the grain Zn concentration, but it also helped in improving crop yield with high economic return. In addition, Zn biofortified seeds have exhibited strong inherent ability to withstand abiotic stresses and produce higher grain yield under diverse climatic conditions. However, there are many constraints (soil, environment, genetic diversity, antinutrients concentration, socioeconomic factors etc.) that hinder the success of biofortification interventions. This review highlights the status of Zn deficiency in Pakistan, the success of agronomic and genetic biofortification interventions. It also discusses the economics of agronomic biofortification and cost effectiveness of Zn fertilization in field conditions in Pakistan and the potential of Zn biofortified seeds against abiotic stresses. Furthermore, it also highlights the constraints which limit the sustainability of biofortification interventions.
AB - Micronutrient malnutrition (e.g., zinc) is one of the major causes of human disease burden in the developing world. Zinc (Zn) deficiency is highly prevalent in the Pakistani population (22.1%), particularly in women and children (under 5 years) due to low dietary Zn intake. In Pakistan, wheat is the primary staple food and is poor in bioavailable Zn. However, the number of malnourished populations has decreased over the last decade due to multiplied public awareness, accelerated use of Zn fertilizers (particularly in wheat and rice), initiation of several national/international research initiatives focusing on Zn biofortification in staple crops and availability of supplements and Zn fortified meals merchandise, nonetheless a large number of people are facing Zn or other micronutrient deficiencies in the country. There are few reports highlighting the significant increase in daily dietary Zn uptake in population consuming biofortified wheat (Zincol-2016) flour; indicating the positive prospect of biofortification interventions up scaling in lowering the risk of dietary Zn deficiency in rural and marginalized communities. Zinc fertilizer strategy has not only helped in enhancing the grain Zn concentration, but it also helped in improving crop yield with high economic return. In addition, Zn biofortified seeds have exhibited strong inherent ability to withstand abiotic stresses and produce higher grain yield under diverse climatic conditions. However, there are many constraints (soil, environment, genetic diversity, antinutrients concentration, socioeconomic factors etc.) that hinder the success of biofortification interventions. This review highlights the status of Zn deficiency in Pakistan, the success of agronomic and genetic biofortification interventions. It also discusses the economics of agronomic biofortification and cost effectiveness of Zn fertilization in field conditions in Pakistan and the potential of Zn biofortified seeds against abiotic stresses. Furthermore, it also highlights the constraints which limit the sustainability of biofortification interventions.
KW - abiotic stresses
KW - bioavailability
KW - chickpea
KW - malnutrition
KW - wheat
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85099013575&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85099013575&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fsufs.2020.591722
DO - 10.3389/fsufs.2020.591722
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85099013575
SN - 2571-581X
VL - 4
JO - Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
JF - Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems
M1 - 591722
ER -