A promising new technology might cut farmers’ nitrogen costs in half
without reduced yields, says Eric Rey, chief operating officer of
Arcadia BioSciences Inc., which has licensed the technology from an
Alberta firm.
Researchers have discovered a way of tricking plants into thinking they
are hungry, and hungry plants take up nitrogen faster, said Rey from
Arcadia headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.
“What’s happened, we think, is that the hungry plant turns on some
active transporters in the roots that aggressively bring in nitrogen
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from the soil and bring it into the roots.”
In an experiment, plants grown without nitrogen absorbed nitrogen
faster when pulled out of the soil and plunged into a nitrogen solution
than those grown with nitrogen.
“They’re hungry for the nitrogen,” said Rey.
Now, when farmers apply nitrogen to their crops, the plants absorb only
about half of the nutrient. The rest stays in the soil or is washed
into lakes and streams, creating a potential environmental hazard.
By activating a specific gene, the plant absorbs nitrogen more
efficiently, allowing farmers to cut their nitrogen costs in half.
Worldwide, about $30 billion is spent on nitrogen a year. In Canada, it
costs farmers about $30-$40 an acre for nitrogen on canola or barley.
University of Alberta scientist Allen Good originated the technology.
Good and others started a spinoff company called AgriGenomics Inc.,
where the work was further developed. Arcadia licensed the technology
from AgriGenomics and has the exclusive licence for the technology
worldwide in all plants.
While Arcadia hopes to use the gene in other crops such as wheat,
barley and corn, the technology is most advanced with canola. For the
past two years field trials have been conducted in Canada to see how
the nitrogen use technology works in the field. It looks promising,
said Rey.
This fall, more field trials will be conducted in southern California.
Because the technology, which involves genetically modifying plants, is
expected to have a positive environmental impact, Rey believes there
will be less backlash compared to a herbicide tolerant technology.
“Will everybody who is anti GMO go along with it? Of course not. Will
some people who are basically rational, weigh the pros and cons, go
along with it? My best guess is that they will, more than with other
traits.”
Rey said positive environmental impact will be especially important in
winning acceptance in Europe, where regulatory agencies are limiting
the amount of nitrogen that can be applied to crops.
