Selenium Biofortification of Vegetables Grown in Calcareous Soil: A Pot Experiment Using Se as a Tracer.

Dietary selenium (Se) is vital for human health and can be provided through consumption of Se-rich vegetables. Soil Se is often poorly available and so biofortification using Se-enriched fertilizers is used to enhance dietary intake. This study aimed to (a) evaluate the feasibility of biofortifying vegetables, commonly grown in the calcareous soils of Kurdistan, with a single application of Se (10 g ha) as selenate and, (b) trace the fate of applied Se using an enriched stable isotope, ⁷⁷Se.

Micronutrients and socio-demographic factors were major predictors of anaemia among the Ethiopian population.

Anaemia is characterised by low hemoglobin (Hb) concentration. Despite being a public health concern in Ethiopia, the role of micronutrients and non-nutritional factors as a determinant of Hb concentrations has been inadequately explored. This study focused on the assessment of serum micronutrient and Hb concentrations and a range of non-nutritional factors, to evaluate their associations with the risk of anaemia among the Ethiopian population ( 2046).

Agronomic biofortification increases grain zinc concentration of maize grown under contrasting soil types in Malawi.

Zinc (Zn) deficiency remains a public health problem in Malawi, especially among poor and marginalized rural populations, linked with low dietary intake of Zn due to consumption of staple foods that are low in Zn content. The concentration of Zn in staple cereal grain can be increased through application of Zn-enriched fertilizers, a process called agronomic biofortification or agro-fortification. Field experiments were conducted at three Agricultural Research Station sites to assess the potential of agronomic biofortification to improve Zn concentration in maize grain in Malawi as described in registered report published previously.

Bioaccessibility of iron in pearl millet flour contaminated with different soil types.

A controlled in-vitro experiment was conducted to determine the bioaccessibility of extrinsic soil iron in pearl millet contaminated with typical Malawian soils. Pearl millet was contaminated with soils at ratios typically encountered in real life. Iron concentrations of soil-contaminated flour increased such that soil-derived iron contributed 56, 83 and 91% of the total iron when the proportions of soil were 0.

Assessing the Lability and Environmental Mobility of Organically Bound Copper by Stable Isotope Dilution.

The environmental mobility of Cu and therefore its potential toxicity are closely linked to its attachment to natural organic matter (NOM). Geochemical models assume full lability of metals bound to NOM, especially under strong oxidizing conditions, which often leads to an overestimation of the lability of soil metals. Stable isotope dilution (SID) has been successfully applied to estimate the labile (isotopically exchangeable) pool of soil metals.

Geochemistry of selenium, barium, and iodine in representative soils of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest.

The Amazon rainforest is a heterogeneous ecosystem and its soils exhibit geographically variable concentrations of trace elements. In this region, anthropic activities - e.g.

Mineral micronutrient status and spatial distribution among the Ethiopian population.

Multiple micronutrient deficiencies are widespread in Ethiopia. However, the distribution of Se and Zn deficiency risks has previously shown evidence of spatially dependent variability, warranting the need to explore this aspect for wider micronutrients. Here, blood serum concentrations for Ca, Mg, Co, Cu and Mo were measured ( 3102) on samples from the Ethiopian National Micronutrient Survey.

Biofortified Maize Improves Selenium Status of Women and Children in a Rural Community in Malawi: Results of the Addressing Hidden Hunger With Agronomy Randomized Controlled Trial.

Selenium deficiency is widespread in the Malawi population. The selenium concentration in maize, the staple food crop of Malawi, can be increased by applying selenium-enriched fertilizers. It is unknown whether this strategy, called agronomic biofortification, is effective at alleviating selenium deficiency.

Soil and plant contamination by potentially toxic and emerging elements and the associated human health risk in some Egyptian environments.

The aim of this work was to assess the origins, mobility, bioavailability and potential health risks of V, Cr, Co, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Sn and Sb, which are not sufficiently studied in the terrestrial environment of Egypt. This has been carried out by employing a combination of chemical fractionation, plants uptake, mathematical modeling and risk assessment approaches on a wide range of soils and plants sampled from industrial, urban and agricultural locations across Egypt. The contents of As, Cd, Sn and Sb were elevated in the soils of some urban and industrial locations within Cairo, although their soil geo-accumulation (I) indices remained ≤ 2, indicating only moderate contamination.

Application of sodium selenate to cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.) increases shoot and grain Se partitioning with strong genotypic interactions.

Backgorund: Cowpea is a crop widely used in developing countries due its rusticity. Besides its rich genotypic variability, most breeding programs do not explore its potential to improve elements uptake. Selenium (Se) is a scarce element in most soils, resulting in its deficiency being common in human diets.

Environmental and human iodine and selenium status: lessons from Gilgit-Baltistan, North-East Pakistan.

Iodine and selenium deficiencies are common worldwide. We assessed the iodine and selenium status of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. We determined the elemental composition (ICP-MS) of locally grown crops (n = 281), drinking water (n = 82), urine (n = 451) and salt (n = 76), correcting urinary analytes for hydration (creatinine, specific gravity).

Multi-elemental Analysis and Health Risk Assessment of Commercial Yerba Mate from Brazil.

Consumption of yerba mate occurs mostly in the form of hot infusion (chimarrão). Water solubility of elements found in commercialized yerba mate is needed to establish nutritional value and risks associated with potentially toxic elements. In this study, yerba mate products marketed in three Brazilian states (Paraná, Santa Catarina, and Rio Grande do Sul) for chimarrão were analyzed.

Multiple geochemical factors may cause iodine and selenium deficiency in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

Deficiencies of the micronutrients iodine and selenium are particularly prevalent where populations consume local agricultural produce grown on soils with low iodine and selenium availability. This study focussed on such an area, Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan, through a geochemical survey of iodine and selenium fractionation and speciation in irrigation water and arable soil. Iodine and selenium concentrations in water ranged from 0.

Zinc deficiency is highly prevalent and spatially dependent over short distances in Ethiopia.

Zinc (Zn) is an essential nutrient for human health. In Ethiopia, a high prevalence of Zn deficiency has been reported. To explore demographic variation and spatial dependencies in the Zn status of the Ethiopian population, we analyzed archived serum samples (n = 3373) from the 2015 Ethiopian National Micronutrient Survey (ENMS), a cross-sectional survey of young children, school-age children, women of reproductive age (WRA) and men conducted in all 9 regions and two city administration of Ethiopia.

Crop uptake of heavy metals in response to the environment and agronomic practices on land near mine tailings in the Zambian Copperbelt Province.

A field experiment was undertaken on farmers' fields adjacent to a large mine tailings dam in the Zambian mining town of Kitwe. Experimental plots were located close to the tailings (≤ 200 m) or further away (300-400 m) within the demarcated land farmed by the same community. This study evaluated the uptake of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn by pumpkin leaves and maize grown in soil amended with lime and manure applied at agronomic rates, and the subsequent risk of dietary exposure to the local community, typical of many similar situations across the Zambian Copperbelt.

Agronomic biofortification of cowpea with zinc: Variation in primary metabolism responses and grain nutritional quality among 29 diverse genotypes.

Dietary zinc (Zn) deficiency is widespread globally, and is particularly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) is consumed widely in LMICs due to its high protein content, and has potential for use in agronomic biofortification strategies using Zn.

Fate of selenium in biofortification of wheat on calcareous soil: an isotopic study.

Selenium (Se) biofortification of staple cereal crops can improve the Se nutritional status of populations. A field trial employing an enriched stable isotope of Se (Se) was undertaken over three consecutive cropping seasons in a coarse-textured, calcareous soil in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The objectives were to (1) assess the feasibility and efficiency of Se biofortification, (2) determine the fate of residual Se, and (3) assess the consequences for dietary Se intake.

A stable isotope approach to accurately determine iron and zinc bioaccessibility in cereals and legumes based on a modified INFOGEST static in vitro digestion method.

The establishment of the INFOGEST in vitro static digestion method, a standardized international consensus, was an important milestone in the field of food digestion. We evaluated the contribution of iron and zinc in reagents used in the INFOGEST method in relation to sample iron and zinc and the potential interference of reagent-derived iron and zinc with bioaccessibility measurements. In most cases, reagent-derived iron and zinc contributed more than 50% of the total iron or zinc in the digesta containing selected cereals and legumes.

Online Microdialysis-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (MD-HPLC-ICP-MS) as a Novel Tool for Sampling Hexavalent Chromium in Soil Solution.

Conventional soil solution sampling of species-sensitive inorganic contaminants, such as hexavalent chromium (Cr), may induce interconversions due to disruption of system equilibrium. The temporal resolution that these sampling methods afford may also be insufficient to capture dynamic interactions or require time-consuming and expensive analysis. Microdialysis (MD) is emerging as a minimally invasive passive sampling method in environmental science, permitting the determination of solute fluxes and concentrations at previously unobtainable spatial scales and time frames.

A new hypothesis for the origin of Amazonian Dark Earths.

Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are unusually fertile soils characterised by elevated concentrations of microscopic charcoal particles, which confer their distinctive colouration. Frequent occurrences of pre-Columbian artefacts at ADE sites led to their ubiquitous classification as Anthrosols (soils of anthropic origin). However, it remains unclear how indigenous peoples created areas of high fertility in one of the most nutrient-impoverished environments on Earth.

Magnesium biofortification of Italian ryegrass ( L.) via agronomy and breeding as a potential way to reduce grass tetany in grazing ruminants.

Aim: Magnesium (Mg) deficiency (known as grass tetany) is a serious metabolic disorder that affects grazing ruminants. We tested whether Mg-fertiliser can increase Mg concentration of Italian ryegrasses ( L.) including a cultivar (cv.

Do soil amendments used to improve agricultural productivity have consequences for soils contaminated with heavy metals?

This study presents an analysis of the effects of manure and lime commonly used to improve agricultural productivity and evaluates the potential for such soil amendments to mobilise/immobilise metal fractions in soils contaminated from nearby mine tailings in the Zambian Copperbelt. Lime and manure were applied at the onset of the study, and their effects were studied over two planting seasons, i.e.

Biofortification of wheat with zinc for eliminating deficiency in Pakistan: study protocol for a cluster-randomised, double-blind, controlled effectiveness study (BIZIFED2).

Introduction: Micronutrient deficiencies, commonly referred to as 'hidden hunger', affect more than two billion people worldwide, with zinc and iron-deficiency frequently reported. The aim of this study is to examine the impact of consuming zinc biofortified flour (Zincol-2016) on biochemical and functional measures of status in adolescent girls and children living in a low-resource setting in Pakistan.

Methods And Analysis: We are conducting a pragmatic, cluster-randomised, double-blind, controlled trial.