The results are the first peer-reviewed evidence that genetically modified microbes provide a significant proportion of corn farmers’ nitrogen in commercial production
BERKELEY, Calif., Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A today in Scientific Reports Published peer-reviewed study describes a new technology that could revolutionize a centuries-old approach to providing nitrogen to crops. The study, a collaboration between researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Purdue University and Pivot Bioa leading sustainable agriculture company, provided the first evidence of how genome editing improves the ability of microbes to fix atmospheric nitrogen and pass it on to grain plants.
Using isotopically labeled nitrogen, the researchers traced the nitrogen in the air to the chlorophyll of the corn leaves and were able to demonstrate that it was bound from the air by the genetically modified microbes. Field studies also showed that these microbes can fix and supply nitrogen equivalent to up to 40 pounds of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer with similar yields.
Improving the effectiveness of nitrogen fertilizers has long been a challenge. “The core problem,” explains Dr. Bruno Basso, a professor of environmental science at Michigan State University who was not involved in the study, “is that the soil-plant-atmosphere system is extremely complex.” Unpredictable weather conditions make it difficult to match nutrient supply to plant needs and to determine exactly how much nitrogen a plant needs and whether the nutrient remains in the soil. “My research lab has been helping farmers for years by using advanced sensor technology and computer models to help them better understand their fields and use nitrogen fertilizers more efficiently to increase profits and reduce environmental impacts such as nutrient losses to groundwater and greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.
Diazotrophs, special species of bacteria found in nature, have the unique ability to convert atmospheric nitrogen gas into ammonium, the building block of amino acids and proteins. This process, commonly referred to as biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), was the primary form of nitrogen supply to crops for thousands of years before synthetic nitrogen fertilizer was invented.”
“Soil-native diazotrophs lose their ability to produce BNF when exposed to high nitrogen concentrations in the soil for long periods of time. This is an evolutionary response to save energy, because BNF is a very energy-intensive process,” explains Dr. Jean-Michel Ané, professor of bacteriology and plant and agroecosystem sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-author of the study. “We must convince these bacteria to maintain high BNF levels in high-nitrogen environments, such as synthetically fertilized soils.“
Pivot Bio researchers developed genetically modified microbes using non-transgenic methods that allow diazotrophs to supply plants with nitrogen even when nitrogen levels are high. “With the gene changes, we blind the microbes to the presence of nitrogen in their environment, so they continue to fix ammonium and release it directly to the root system,” said Dr. Karsten Temme, Chief Innovation Officer and co-founder of Pivot Bio and co-author of the study. „We also made other changes to ensure that the bacteria can transfer the fixed nitrogen to the plants instead of keeping it for themselves.“
The paper presents evidence of this process in laboratory and field testing areas. It is also the first peer-reviewed paper to address PROVEN® 40, Pivot Bio’s second-generation commercial product for corn, which contains genetically modified nitrogen-fixing microbes.
“Nitrogen fertilizer is arguably the most significant invention of the last century and will be essential to global development and food security for the foreseeable future. However, we believe it can be put to better use,” said Dr. Temme. “Pivot Bio’s focus is on improving agricultural productivity by increasing nitrogen efficiency with our genetically modified microbes and reducing losses from synthetic fertilizer reduce the environment.”
On site, the researchers conducted a series of isotope experiments to demonstrate nitrogen fixation again, this time under real conditions, and to quantify nitrogen levels in the plant. They also collected hundreds of samples from farmers who reduced nitrogen fertilizer levels by 35 to 40 pounds of nitrogen per acre and replaced it with Pivot Bio’s PROVEN 40. The researchers found that the plants treated with PROVEN 40, on average, one higher nitrogen content at the beginning of the season and had no negative impact on yield despite receiving less synthetic fertilizer.
“It is very difficult to track nitrogen as it travels from the air to the microbe and then to the plant. “We rely on the isotopic signatures of nitrogen atoms from the air and soil,” explained Dr. Ané. With these measurements, the researchers detected isotopically labeled nitrogen in the chlorophyll of corn leaves in the laboratory, a sign that microbes were supplying this nitrogen to the plant .
“This comprehensive research is promising because it means farmers can start reducing nitrogen fertilization without compromising productivity: a win-win for the farmer and the environment,” said Dr Temme. “That is “It’s very exciting because the technology is highly scalable. Our products have already been deployed on over 13 million acres in the US since our launch five years ago, which means real impact.”
Dr. Basso agrees. „If this technology continues to improve and deliver more nitrogen to crops, and this is proven to translate into reduced pollution and an overall better carbon footprint for agriculture, it could revolutionize nitrogen management. The more we replace synthetic fertilizers with more efficient and sustainable sources of nitrogen to increase crop yields, the better for farmers, communities and the environment.”
The full article can be found at Scientific Reports be retrieved. The magazine founded in 2011 Scientific Reports is an open access journal from the Nature portfolio that publishes remarkable original research in the natural and clinical sciences and is known for its rigorous peer review process.
Information about Pivot Bio
Pivot Bio is a leading sustainable agriculture company, providing farmers with patented plant nutrition technologies that harness the power of nature to reliably and productively grow the food the world needs in the face of increasing volatility. The company’s products, currently available in North America and soon in Brazil, represent a breakthrough innovation and are among the most promising climate solutions in the industry. The company’s nitrogen is weatherproof, safer to handle and does not contribute to leaching or nitrous oxide emissions. Pivot Bio has been named three times by Time Magazine on its annual Best Inventions list, by Fast Company on the World Changing Ideas and World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies lists, by CNBC on the Disruptor 50 list of private companies, by Fortune on the Impact 20 list of startups committed to the public good and named one of 15 Climate Tech Companies to Watch by MIT Tech Review. For more information, visit PivotBio.com.
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