摘要：Because trace minerals are important not only for human nutrition, but for plantnutrition as well, plant breeding holds great promise for making a significant low-cost andsustainable contribution to reducing micronutrient deficiencies in humans, and may haveimportant spinoff effects for increasing farm productivity in developing countries in anenvironmentally beneficial way.This paper describes ongoing plant breeding research that could increase the intakeof bioavailable zinc from food staple crops among vulnerable populations in developingcountries. The three most promising plant breeding strategies to achieve this goal are (1)increasing the concentration of zinc in the plant, (2) reducing the amount of phytic acid (astrong inhibitor of zinc absorption), and (3) raising the levels of sulfur-containing aminoacids (which are thought to promote zinc absorption). The agronomic advantages anddisadvantages as well as the potential benefits and limitations of each approach for humannutrition are described. Research is currently underway to identify the optimalcombination of these approaches that will maximize impact on human zinc nutrition.
