Researchers unlock hidden plant ability that could eliminate harmful chemicals from farming: 'Savings of more than a billion dollars'

Wheat is the world's second most-grown cereal, and growing it takes a lot of nitrogen fertilizer. 

A new nitrogen-fixing genetic tweak could help wheat fertilize itself, potentially saving farmers over a billion dollars every year.

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, found a way to help wheat plants get that nitrogen naturally. 

They used CRISPR, a gene-editing tool, to boost levels of apigenin — a chemical the plant already makes.

The extra apigenin leaks from the roots and pushes nearby bacteria to form sticky biofilms. These layers create low-oxygen pockets where the microbes can pull nitrogen from the air and turn it into food for the wheat.

The team screened about 2,800 plant chemicals. Twenty pushed soil bacteria to build those films — apigenin rose to the top. They edited hexaploid (bread) wheat with multiplex CRISPR to boost its flavone pathway.

In low-nitrogen tests, the edited plants stayed greener, captured more sunlight, and produced bigger harvests. Roots from those plants also released more apigenin, which lined up with the extra biofilm growth around them.

The approach builds on UC Davis rice experiments, and teams are now testing it in other cereals. Work on legume fertilizer research follows the same path, using plant biology to rely less on synthetic inputs. Some are also piloting bioremediation using fungi to clean polluted soil.

Farmers apply millions of tons of nitrogen fertilizer each year, but crops take up only 30 to 50%. The remainder runs into rivers and lakes — feeding algae and lowering oxygen, so fish struggle. Some become nitrous oxide, a heat-trapping gas much stronger in warming potential than carbon dioxide. 

The Department of Agriculture puts the U.S. fertilizer spending at about $36 billion in 2023. Cutting this waste helps wildlife and keeps drinking water safer.

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Eduardo Blumwald — a plant scientist at the University of California, Davis, who led the project — said even small fertilizer cuts would add up across farms. 

He noted, "That should be a savings of more than a billion dollars every year."

In parts of Africa and other regions where fertilizer costs are too steep, this could improve food security. Efforts around growing food at home also share the same goal — to rely less on chemical-heavy farming.

This wheat is experimental for now, with field use still years out. If results hold, it could mean cleaner food production, lower costs, and more resilient farming.

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