Geneticists have discovered two gene switches in plants which enable better zinc intake. This paves the way for plant breeders to reduce malnutrition.
The two gene switches are also found in edible vegetation. The challenge for the breeders is to find out how to activate them in times of acute zinc shortage so that they would react earlier and absorb more zinc. Many people in developing countries suffer from a shortage of zinc due to often unbalanced diets. By activating the mechanism which enables plants to absorb more zinc, this problem can perhaps be solved. This discovery also leads to possibilities to clean up land contaminated by zinc, postulate the researchers.
Their findings have been published on May 18 in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).