The Need for Breeding Zinc Efficient Wheat Cultivars to Combate Zinc Deficiency in Humans in Egypt

Abstract

Zinc deficiency in humans is widespread in arid Middle East and West Asia countries. The first discovery of Zn deficiency and its impact on human health was in early sixties last century in Egypt and Iran.  Zinc deficiency causes many unhealthy symptoms. In children and adolescents, it is one of causes of the stunting syndrome, mental retardation and fertility problems.

During the seventies, the National Research Centre, Egypt, carried out soil and crop nutritional surveys including Zn. It was very evident that a large areas of soils contain low to very low Zn content, which reflected in low Zn content in crops, including wheat.

In between, different approaches to correct Zn deficiency in humans through agronomic practices were established. Among others, treating seeds with Zn (Soaking or Coating), treating soil (through adding Zn fertilizers) or treating the crop by spraying Zn foliar fertilizers. However, all these methods are temporarily and do not provide a permanent solution.

It was found that different crop cultivars show different responses to Zn and thus, are different in their Zn uptake, translocation and accumulation in the edible parts. Intensive efforts were and still running to breed new varieties to produce edible parts with high micronutrient contents. These efforts include Zn, Fe and others. Bill-Gates Foundation and other donors initiated the Harvest Plus program to breed new varieties of different crops contain high micronutrient contents. The CGIAR institutes and centers are working intensively on this topic in wheat, Maize, Rice and other crops.

In Egypt, there is a considerable information about Zn deficiency in soils and crops and the effect of using agronomic practices to correct deficiency and increase yields and Zn content in edible parts including wheat grains.

We still need intensive work in collaboration and cooperation among breeders, biotechnologists, soil scientists, crop physiologists and agronomists to breed new crop cultivars with high Zn content in the edible parts. Wheat, Maize, Rice and Fababean should be given high priority.