The Maize Biofortification and Climate Resilience Breeding Team at the University of the Free State (UFS) has been nominated for the National Science and Technology Forum 2024/2025. Prof. Maryke Labuschagne, a professor of plant breeding in the department of plant sciences, expressed gratitude to all who worked hard to earn the nomination.
The National Science and Technology Forum awards recognise, honour, reward, celebrate, profile and promote outstanding contributions to science, engineering and technology, and innovation in South Africa.
According to a statement from the university, the team is a collaboration between UFS, the Agricultural Research Council – Grain Crops (ARC-GC), the International Centre for the Improvement of Wheat and Maize (CIMMYT) in Zimbabwe, and ZamSeed in Zambia.
Improving nutritional value in crops
The team was nominated for their contribution to maize biofortification and identification of climate-resilient biofortified maize through collaborative research. Labuschagne is leading the National Research Foundation’s South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) Chair in Diseases and Quality of Field Crops.
Labuschagne said they have been working on biofortification (the genetic improvement of nutritional value in crops) of maize grain for many years.
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“This includes the increase of provitamin A levels, essential amino acids tryptophan and lysine, and the improvement of iron and zinc levels in maize. All the research is being done in the context of climate change, so that the advantages of biofortification are not lost under adverse production conditions,” she said.
Importance of biofortification in Africa
Labuschagne said they have partnered with the ARC for many years in terms of research and student training. This has now been formalised with the ARC, UFS and the department of agriculture research chair in breeding climate-resilient vegetables and grains, which kicked off at the end of 2024.
“Biofortification is very important in South Africa and Africa, and the release of climate-resilient biofortified crops can make a significant contribution to food and nutritional security in the region, especially in rural areas. We have focused mainly on maize in the past.
“We are now expanding the research to include sorghum and the legumes (cowpea, pigeon pea, vegetable soybean, and bambara groundnut). These are all food security crops in Southern Africa. Our research will focus on heat and drought tolerance in these crops, and the simultaneous improvement of their nutritional value,” she said.
The university noted that with this research, Labuschagne and the team are contributing to the realisation of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG) which aims to end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor, and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round by 2030.
“The research is also aligned with the African Union Agenda 2063, of which one of the eight aspirations is to have a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development. In this regard, the Africa of 2063 will be a continent without any form of food or nutrition insecurity and hunger. Measures will be adopted that lead to food sovereignty,” the UFS stated.
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