Wim Voogt, researcher at Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture, was awarded the Bram Steiner Award from the Royal Agricultural Society (KLV) following one of his publications. The ceremony took place during GroSci 2013, the international symposium on plant cultivation without soil and substrates, which was held from 17 to 21 June in Leiden. The biennial award is granted by the KLV to an author of a ground-breaking publication in the field of plant nutrition.
Wim Voogt receives the prize for his publication 'Bio fortification of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) with iodine: the effect of iodine form and concentration in the nutrient solution on growth, development and iodine uptake of lettuce grown in water culture' in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (Volume 90, Issue 5, pages 906-913, April 15, 2010).
The publication describes the results of research into the iodine uptake of hydroponic lettuce. Wim Voogt wrote the article with his co-authors Harmen Holwerda and Rashied Khodabaks.
Iodine in humans and animals is required for proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Deficiency in humans is still a common occurrence worldwide. For years, the WHO is trying to solve this problem. In the western world the deficiency is commonly countered with iodized salt in bread. However, this method is insufficient in some parts of the globe, as there are many people who do not eat bread, for example. Purpose of the research paper was to study the possibilities of adding the nutrient through iodized lettuce. And according to Voogt, it is possible.
Bram Steiner
Bram Steiner, honorary member of the Royal Agricultural Society and namesake of the award, was present to award the accolade. Steiner has dedicated himself to scientific research to mineral nutrition of plants. He has laid the foundation for plant nutrition in soil-less cultivation.