Dr. Rafia Mubakara

Prof. Dr. Rafia Mubakara

University of Koblenz-Landau
orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

5Years (2022-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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11 February 2022 in Agronomy
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
DKDr. Aysha Kiran
Dr. Aysha Kiran
AWAbdul Wakeel
Abdul Wakeel
KMKhalid Mahmood
Khalid Mahmood
DMDr. Rafia Mubakara
Dr. Rafia Mubakara
HAHafsa
Hafsa
SHStephan M Haefele
Stephan M Haefele
Micronutrient malnutrition is a global health challenge affecting almost half of the global population, causing poor physical and mental development of children and a wide range of illnesses. It is most prevalent in young girls, women, and pre-school children who are suffering particularly from the low consumption of vitamins and micronutrients. Given this global challenge, biofortification has proven to be a promising and economical approach to increase the concentration of essential micronutrients in edible portions of staple crops. Produce quality and micronutrient content can be further enhanced with the use of micronutrient fertilizers. Especially developing countries with a high percentage of malnourished populations are attracted to this integrated biofortification, combining modern agronomic interventions and genetic improvement of food crops. Consequently, maize, rice, wheat, beans, pearl millet, sweet potato, and cassava have all been biofortified with increased concentrations of Fe, Zn, or provitamin A in various developing countries. Today, there are several large-scale success stories in Africa and Asia that support the research and development of biofortified crops. In this review, we summarized what has been achieved to date and how edible crops can be further improved by integrating agronomic and genetic strategies to upgrade the nutritional status of children and adults around the world.