Summary
This geospatial analysis of 1,600 field locations across Malawi identified soil properties and environmental covariates explaining longer-range spatial variation in maize grain zinc concentration, a key dietary source in the region. Soil pH, isotopically exchangeable zinc, and DTPA-extractable zinc emerged as significant predictors within a linear mixed model framework, with spatial dependence evident at scales up to ~100 km. The findings enable targeted interventions for zinc biofortification and improved understanding of dietary zinc adequacy across different agricultural zones.
UK applicability
The methodological approach of linking soil properties and landscape factors to cereal micronutrient concentration is transferable to UK arable systems; however, dietary zinc deficiency is not a significant public health concern in the UK, limiting direct applicability of the nutritional conclusions. The spatial modelling framework may inform precision agriculture approaches to nutrient management in UK cereal production.
Key measures
Maize grain zinc concentration (mg kg⁻¹); soil pH (water); labile (ZnE) and non-labile (ZnDTPA) soil zinc forms; mean annual temperature; spatial autocorrelation at distances up to ~100 km
Outcomes reported
The study identified soil pH, isotopically exchangeable zinc (ZnE), and DTPA-extractable zinc (ZnDTPA) as significant predictors of spatial variation in maize grain zinc concentration across Malawi, with mean grain zinc of 21.8 mg kg⁻¹. Spatial predictions from the linear mixed model provide a basis for targeting zinc biofortification interventions.
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