HarvestZinc Fertilizer Project is on-going under HarvestPlus Program in four Phases. The first 3 Phases of the project lasted for 9 years, from 2008 to 2017. The 4th Phase was started on 1st of January 2018 and expected to take 3 years.
In the period of 2008 to 2017, the project had accomplished its objectives and produced novel results and insights of practical relevance and importance. The results reveal the feasibility of the fertilizer strategy and its vast potential in alleviating deficiencies of zinc (Zn), iodine (I), iron (Fe) and selenium (Se) and positively impact on human health. The phase 3 of the project demonstrated marked increases in iodine concentrations in grains of rice, maize and wheat after foliar spray of iodine which highlight the great potential of agronomy (e.g., fertilizer strategy) for agronomic biofortification of cereal crops with iodine like zinc and selenium.
The phase 3 has also showed that that plant genetic- and agronomy-based approaches are complementary, and create additive and synergistic impacts on accumulation of micronutrients at desirable amounts for human nutrition.
Following tasks will be studied in the 4th Phase of the project:
TASK 1: Studying novel soil and foliar fertilizer products
Phase 4 will continue to investigate new fertilizer products and plant protection compounds for their agronomic effectiveness in increasing grain micronutrient concentration of food crops
TASK 2: Exploit the synergism between breeding and agronomy
This Task focuses on exploiting synergies from combining genetic and agronomic approaches to boost and stabilize grain concentrations of micronutrients to desired levels.
TASK 3: Farmer field trials and use of cocktail micronutrient fertilizers
This Task investigates agronomic effectiveness of a micronutrient fertilizer cocktail containing zinc + iodine + iron + selenium on grain concentration of micronutrients in wheat grown in farmer fields.
TASK 4: Consumer acceptance and test marketing study
Phase 4 of the project will study consumer acceptability of biofortified wheat with zinc, iodine, and selenium by conducting a concept test followed by a product test.
TASK 5: "Micronutrient Days" with Farmers
Organization of the "Micronutrient Days Events" (or Zinc Day events) will continue to introduce and deliver project results and related knowledge to farmers and governmental organizations