Zinc and Iron in Soil, Plant, Animal and Human Health

摘要

Zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) are essential for plants as well as humans and animals who consume plant produce. Zinc and Fe pose critical nutritional issues as their deficiencies cause severe impairment of animal/ human health. Most of the nutrients required for animal/ human come from plants through soil and low concentration of Zn/ Fe in plant produce is a reflectance of low availability of Zn/Fe in soils. The major chunk of Indian population relies on cereals like rice, wheat and maize as a major source of dietary energy and protein, which are very poor in Zn and Fe. Growing of these crops on soils, which are highly deficient in these nutrients (Zn - 40% and Fe - 14.4%), may further reduce Zn/Fe density in the grain. Increasing Zn and Fe density in these staple crops through genetic modification or agronomic manipulation would greatly improve human nutrition on the national scale. A systematic study on Zn in soil-plant-animal/ human continuum has suggested a strong link of the soil Zn status with grain/seed Zn density and Zn levels in animal/human blood serum. Agronomic and physiological strategies developed to enhance Zn/Fe density in edible plant parts would be of great help in combating malnutrition with smaller investment in Zn/Fe fertilisers. Ensuring bioavailability of Zn/Fe from enriched produce is another aspect which needs to be considered as it is greatly affected by the presence of different anti-nutrients.