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	View Edit Domain: GreenBio Title: * Body: JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - The South African government Thursday approved trials on genetically-modified sorghum in a bid to improve nutrition in Africa, an official statement said.<p>The official nod to undertake the greenhouse trials on sorghum was given to South Africa`s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), one of the key scientific agencies in an international research project to enhance the nutritional values of sorghum, the CSIR text said.</p><p>Sorghum is an African crop and staple food of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.</p><p>While it is one of the few crops that grow well in arid parts, it is lacking in most essential nutrients and it has poor protein digestibility, the statement said.</p><p>Scientific evidence shows that deficiencies in essential micronutrients -- such as iron, zinc, Vitamin A and others -- can cause impaired immune systems, blindness, low birth weight, impaired neuropsychological development and growth stunting, it said.</p><p>Malnutrition is a major cause of the rise in the many non-communicable diseases, especially in Africa.</p><p>The Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) project -- which involves seven African and two US organisations -- seeks to develop a more nutritious and easily digestible sorghum that contains increased levels of essential amino acids, especially lysine, increased levels of Vitamins A and E, and more available iron and zinc.</p><p>The CSIR Biosciences executive director, Gatsha Mazithulela, said the project approval "is in the best interest of scientific inquiry and provides a basis for making a difference to the neediest people of our continent." <br /></p><br /><p><span>Copyright © 2008 AFP. All rights reserved.</span><br /></p> Captcha: Please Enter Code : * Time Zone: * Select the time zone Vocabularies Newsletter: Domain: Show summary in full view Input format Filtered HTML Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Full HTML Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. news_filter Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. More information about formatting options			Related Articles UQ researchers produce world's first transgenic sweet sorghu... DuPont and AquaChile Announce Sustainable Aquaculture Partne... Unraveling of the sorghum genome will help improve dryland c... Plant to Deliver Nutritionally Enhanced Sorghum to Africa PATH, Abbott and the Abbott Fund Form Innovative Partnership... Hope for farmers in GMO cotton deal . Simpler woodland strawberry genome aids research on more com... PepsiCo Chooses to Continue Using GE Ingredients Despite Evi... If GMO genes escape, how will the hybrids do? Top GreenBio Articles

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