Fortified rice to tackle iron deficiency in population

Over two billion people – about a third of the world’s population – suffer from iron deficiency. Compounding this problem is the fact that most of the developing world depends on white rice, which is very low in iron, as a primary source of food.

In this interview with Radio National, Dr Alex Johnson from the School of Botany talks about his team’s efforts to develop iron-fortified rice. In a world-first, Dr Johnson and his team have genetically engineered white rice to increase its iron concentration by 400%.

• Listen to the interview with Dr Alex Johnson on Radio National.

The researchers were able to target the gene responsible for picking up iron in the rice plant, and used biotechnology to lift activity in that particular gene.

Having made this breakthrough in laboratory and greenhouse environments, the next phase of this research is to test the iron-fortified rice plants in the field.

The team’s research was funded by the Australian Research Council and the HarvestPlus Challenge Program.

Read more about this breakthrough at the HarvestPlus website.
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