Researchers may have unlocked the key to reducing farmers' fertilizer use on key crops like cereals and legumes. The team from the John Innes Centre has found a way to facilitate increased absorption of soil microbes by plants, resulting in more nutrient uptake and less of a need for environmentally unfriendly fertilizers, per a news release.
The team's exciting approach to cutting down on inorganic nitrate and phosphorus fertilizer use was published in Nature. The primary issue scientists looked to solve was finding a way to boost endosymbiosis — the process by which plants unearth nutrients from the soil in a trade for sugars — in farming conditions.
Endosymbiosis happens most often in nutrient-rich soils that are very unlike those found in intensive agriculture. Thus, farmers often use a hefty amount of fertilizer on their land to make up for shortfalls in endosymbiosis. That can result in damaging fertilizer runoff that harms the local marine ecosystem and gets into drinking water. Fertilizer is also pricey and requires a lot of dirty energy to manufacture. Production of its key ingredient, synthetic ammonia, accounts for an estimated 2% of the world's planet-heating pollution.
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Yes — everywhere 👏 Scientists tapped into a gene mutation in the calcium-signaling pathway of plants to enhance endosymbiosis. This approach was successful in farming conditions, which could allow for a natural alternative to fertilizer use on staple crops like wheat. Group leader Dr. Myriam Charpentier said of the results, "Our findings hold great potential for advancing sustainable agriculture."
"It is unexpected and exciting that the mutation we have identified enhances endosymbiosis in farming conditions, because it offers the potential for sustainable crop production using endosymbionts alongside reduced inorganic fertiliser use," added Dr. Charpentier.
There is a full-court press by researchers and scientists to uncover ways to reduce fertilizer use and minimize runoff. Parallel efforts to this one are tackling gene editing to enhance nitrogen absorption in potatoes and other staple crops. Additional efforts look to boost fertilizer efficiency by adding materials like crushed rocks to raise crop yields. Yet another study is dealing with ammonia production directly and attempting to reduce its environmental toll.
As the agricultural world faces increasing climate pressures, these efforts will be vital to reducing the sector's energy use and, ideally, paving the way for a more sustainable future. John Innes Centre scientists believe their findings will be an important contribution to "efficient nutrient assimilation" as other researchers take on building more disease- and climate-resistant crops.
'"Our discovery underscores the importance of fundamental science in addressing societal challenges," declared Dr. Charpentier.
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