EAST LANSING, Mich. – Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have been awarded a substantial $611,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for an innovative study into the absorption of heavy metals by crops. This investigation, spearheaded by Wei Zhang, an associate professor and associate chair in MSU’s Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, delves into how elements like arsenic, cadmium, and lead are taken up by plants from the soil.

The interdisciplinary team brings together experts from four different MSU departments, all affiliated with MSU AgBioResearch. Notably, the team includes:

• Zachary Hayden, an expert in horticulture.
• Hui Li, a professor renowned for his work on soil and microbial sciences.
• Kurt Steinke, who specializes in soil sciences and serves as an MSU Extension specialist.
• Felicia Wu, a distinguished professor with expertise spanning food science and human nutrition, as well as agricultural economics.

The research initiative aligns with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Closer to Zero action plan, introduced in 2021 to diminish the risks posed by contaminants in foods, with a focus on those consumed by babies and young children. This plan was a direct response to a congressional report revealing the harm caused by high levels of toxic metals in commercial baby foods.

Anticipating future FDA regulations on acceptable levels of these metals in our food, Zhang and his team aim to unravel the complexities influencing how crops absorb these contaminants. Their work is critical, as factors such as crop species, soil type, topography, and climate all play a role in this process. The team emphasizes the need for a collaborative approach that involves stakeholders throughout the food supply chain.

This USDA grant will propel existing efforts, including an investigation into how soil amendments can limit the uptake of heavy metals by carrots. This particular study is part of a Specialty Crop Block Grant funded by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and showcases the university’s commitment to ensuring the safety and integrity of our food systems.

In Michigan, the cultivation of carrots is a significant agricultural endeavor, with local farmers harvesting over 52,000 tons of the root vegetable annually for processing. Jamie Clover Adams, the executive director of the Michigan Carrot Committee, emphasizes the commitment of these producers to supply processors with a product that is not only high-quality but also safe for consumption.

Recent studies, backed by the Specialty Crop Block Grant’s first-year findings, indicate that the presence of heavy metals in carrots is influenced by a variety of factors. These insights are invaluable to farmers, aiding them in assessing the risk of metal uptake as early as the field selection stage and throughout the growth of the crop. However, Adams notes that this research is merely the foundation of a much larger undertaking.

The substantial investment from the USDA marks a pivotal next step in this agricultural narrative, providing Michigan’s carrot farmers with advanced resources to further mitigate risks and enhance the safety profile of their produce for the consumer market.

Further broadening the scope of their research, Zhang, Li, and Wu are part of an initiative through the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences, focusing on cadmium exposure through the consumption of rice, spinach, and similar crops. This is part of the larger Closer to Zero initiative, aiming to reduce the levels of contaminants in food items, particularly those ingested by the most vulnerable populations, such as infants and young children.

In a parallel technological stride, Zhang and Li are leveraging machine learning to refine the prediction models for crop contaminant uptake. This cutting-edge approach takes into account a wide spectrum of environmental, climatic, and anthropogenic variables, as well as the intricate dynamics between metals, plant biology, and soil chemistry. This integration of machine learning stands to revolutionize the precision of contamination risk assessments in agriculture.

A fresh infusion of USDA funding is setting the stage for Michigan State University researchers to intensify their studies on the uptake of heavy metals in key agricultural crops — carrots and wheat. These particular crops are under the microscope due to their widespread use in baby foods and their prominence in Michigan’s agriculture.

The research endeavor aims to be a beacon of guidance for farmers, the food industry, and policy makers, structured around three principal goals. These objectives focus on discerning the factors contributing to the absorption of heavy metals by crops and developing strategies to minimize such uptake.

Under the first aim, Associate Professor Wei Zhang and Professor Hui Li are set to investigate soil samples collected from commercial carrot and wheat fields in Michigan, assessing the presence of arsenic, cadmium, and lead — heavy metals that raise significant concerns when it comes to the purity of baby food.

The team will employ sophisticated extraction techniques to detect even minimal levels of contamination and analyze these in relation to the uptake by the crops. Zhang has noted that understanding the correlation between low soil contamination and the corresponding levels in crops could be pivotal, especially as higher soil contamination might logically lead to greater accumulation in the crops themselves.

Moreover, the research will stretch into MSU’s own greenhouses, where carrots and wheat will be cultivated under controlled conditions to gauge the impact of different growth stages and soil moisture levels on metal uptake, a study expected to yield critical insights into the interplay between environmental conditions and heavy metal absorption.

In its second key objective, the study will pivot to practical applications in the field. Assistant Professor Zachary Hayden and Associate Professor Kurt Steinke will gather and analyze soil and plant samples over multiple years from Michigan’s fields. This segment of the research will delve into how varying growth stages, soil compositions, and topographical features might influence the uptake of contaminants by these essential crops.

In a concerted effort to safeguard the food supply, researchers from Michigan State University have devised a comprehensive approach to examine the intricacies of heavy metal uptake in crops. A critical part of the study involves systematic sampling at pivotal times during the growing season. Samples will be collected at the onset, midpoint, and harvest time, with additional samples considered should extreme weather conditions warrant it.

The third pillar of this project will see Zhang and Wu harnessing the power of machine learning. They will incorporate the climate, plant, and soil data harvested from the initial objectives to forge predictive models that can assess the risk of heavy metal uptake. These models will serve as a foundation for an evaluation that looks at the practicality and economic viability of various mitigation tactics. The strategies under scrutiny include soil amendments, crop rotation, and fertilizer management, alongside the selection of specific crop cultivars less prone to absorb contaminants.

The ultimate ambition of this research crusade is the creation of a management guide, a compendium of economically sound practices that can be customized to suit the unique circumstances of each farm. Additionally, the team aims to arm policymakers with the resources necessary for making knowledgeable decisions.

Felicia Wu, a John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor, articulated the project’s broader vision: to quantify the benefits of interventions aimed at reducing heavy metals in food crops, thus informing policymakers on the merits of implementing such measures. The team’s dedication is anchored in producing actionable insights, with the welfare of consumers and the integrity of the food supply at the heart of their endeavors.