SBIR Phase I: A Microbial Inoculant for the Degradation and Recycling of Hemp Waste into a Nutrient-Rich Fertilizer

The broader impact/commercial potential of this SBIR Phase I Project is to increase the advance a technology to transform leftover plant matter into a fertilizer to support the agricultural industry. The proposed project will develop a microbial inoculant that will rapidly and efficiently transform post-harvest leftover plant matter into a nutrient-rich bioavailable fertilizer used to nourish future crops, particularly in the emerging hemp industry. The findings from this research project are potentially applicable to the degradation of other common agricultural crops, such as corn, and the conversion of feedstock into biofuels. The technology will add value to farms, save farmers money, and prevent further environmental harm through the production and use of synthetic fertilizer. This SBIR Phase I project advances a cooperative, synthetic microbial inoculant that degrades lignin, a polymer in hemp that is highly resistant to degradation, into a nutrient-rich fertilizer that increases hemp yield. This innovation will be achieved by developing and performing assays that quantify the efficiency with which microbes degrade lignin and produce peroxidases, the family of enzymes that degrade lignin. After identifying microbes with lignin-degrading capabilities, these microbes will be incorporated into a plant growth promoting co-culture, at which point the inoculant will be optimized to achieve the maximum lignin degradation efficiency at a wide range of temperatures and conditions. This will be achieved through lab-scale adaptation, i.e. a natural forced microbial evolution. Finally, the output of the optimized microbial inoculant will be evaluated for its ability to increase hemp seed germination and decrease the harmful effects of plant pathogens. These characteristics will be examined using seed germination assays and microbial plate competition assays. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.