Nitrogen Biofertilizer for sustainable agriculture

The proposed project pertains to the development of a novel nitrogen biofertilizercomprising special seeds and seed treatments to reduce the need for N fertilizers incrop production by 40 - 50%. Sustainable production of food and energy crops is criticalto ensure global food security. The proposed innovation (BioCat-N) will facilitate theutilization of organic nitrogen pool (not otherwise readily bioavailable) in acid andalkaline soils by crops to satisfy their nitrogen needs. The proposed research is uniquein a number of ways. It targets organic nitrogen and proposes a sustainable way toprovide for plant N needs while enhancing soil quality. Organic nitrogen constitutes asignificant pool of soil nitrogen arising from applied manure in organic farming andimmobilization of applied and/or residual inorganic synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Currentresearch and our own preliminary data substantiates organic (protein) nitrogen uptakeas free amino acids and oligopeptides as an important N uptake pathway in plants.Furthermore, the proposed project develops a nitrogen biofertilizer product based on adetailed characterization of N bioavailability thus helping reduce the need for syntheticN fertilizers while still reliably obtaining optimal crop growth. To the best of ourknowledge, no current US patents are directly related to the proposed research andproduct development and do not infringe or compromise the resulting intellectualproperty.The proposed research addresses the key societal challenge of Global Food Securityand Hunger and the need for sustainable food production by development of methods/technologies to reduce or eliminate the usage of synthetic fertilizers. It also enablesbiofuel industry to become an important and commercially viable source of renewableenergy. It will enhance international competitiveness of US Agricultural Industry byreducing input costs and enhancing sustainability of rural farm economies. It will supportincreased opportunities and improve quality of life by making smaller size land holdingprofitable. If the project is successful, BioCat-N will revolutionize corn, soybean, wheat,and sorghum production and set a precedent for the sustainable production of othercrops in the U.S. It will also revolutionize and diversify the synthetic N fertilizer industry.By helping with sustainable N management, it should also dramatically reduce costs forremediation of surface water quality and treatment of adverse human health effects.