IAPN press release from 5 June 2014
Presentation of the Georg Forster Research Award by the President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Prof. Dr. Helmut Schwarz, to Prof. Dr. Ismail Cakmak (Photo: Humboldt Foundation/Ausserhofer)
On 4 June 2014, Prof. Dr. Ismail Cakmak from Sabanci University, Istanbul, received the coveted Georg Forster Research Award of the Humboldt Foundation. The award was presented by Prof. Dr. Helmut Schwarz, President of the Foundation. Before the award ceremony, a reception was held by Federal President Joachim Gauck at Schloss Bellevue. Since the beginning of this year, the award winner has been conducting research at the Institute of Applied Plant Nutrition (IAPN) as well as at the Department Crop Sciences, in the sector of Plant Nutrition and Yield Physiology at Göttingen University.
“Leading economists agree that worldwide malnutrition is one of the greatest challenges humanity is presently facing, even more pressing than climate change. Approximately two billion people are currently suffering from acute nutrient deficiencies, primarily women and children“, Prof. Dr. Ismail Cakmak explains the motivation behind his research. “With our work, we can contribute to increasing grain zinc density by using targeted fertilization and plant breeding strategy, which will in turn improve the zinc supply to people living in developing countries, where cereals are still the most important staple foods.”
Humboldtians invited to Schloss Bellevue (from right to left): Federal President Joachim Gauck, Prof. Dr. Ismail Cakmak and Prof. Dr. Helmut Schwarz, President of the Humboldt Foundation (Photo: IAPN)
The discovery of the fact that in Turkey grain zinc deficiency inhibits plant growth and diminishes yield quality was initially quite coincidental. “During the 1990s, we conducted fertilization trials in the Turkish region of Anatolia, as the cereals grown in that area exhibited very distinctive leaf symptoms. This is where we discovered the importance of the nutrient zinc, and we decided to conduct more targeted research on this issue“, says Cakmak. As a result of this research, Turkish farmers now apply 500,000 tons of zinc-containing NPK-fertilizers per year, significantly improving Turkish wheat's nutritive quality and yields. Within the scope of the international HarvestPlusProgram, Prof. Cakmak has since 2008 been coordinating a global fertilizer research project, in twelve countries. This project is aimed at promoting international research on grain zinc density, and at gaining insight into the effects of targeted fertilization on the nutrient supply to plants – and therefore also to humans.
In addition to his work on alleviating zinc deficiency, Prof. Cakmak conducts research on the relevance of proper plant nutrition for plant growth under adverse, stress-inducing conditions such as water deficiency, heat and increased solar radiation. Special attention is given to the nutrients magnesium and potassium. The corresponding research projects are conducted by Prof. Cakmak, in collaboration with scientists from the Institute of Applied Plant Nutrition (IAPN) and from the Department Crop Sciences at Göttingen University.
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