The wheat that makes its own fertilizer

Most farmers or sustainability enthusiasts expect some type of fertilizer or additive to be used on the land. You could use compost or an organic fertilizer to supplement and restore the land's nutrients. But recently, researchers at UC Davis have questioned whether plants, specifically wheat, could produce their own fertilizer, reducing the need for additional materials, expenses and manual labor. With innovations in clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), it may be possible.

The discovery of self-sufficient wheat

Plants may be able to catalyze fertilizer production through CRISPR gene editing. The benefits would be astronomical, as synthetic fertilizers continue to pollute the air and water of wheat operations, exacerbating climate change stressors and harming wildlife. While it may seem to improve yields, the long-term consequences are not worth the benefit.

UC Davis researchers have started with wheat. Experts from the Department of Plant Sciences have attempted to encourage the wheat plant to make more of the chemicals it already produces. These nutrients help soil bacteria create an ideal environment for optimal development. This includes nitrogen fixation, which increases the available amount of nitrogen plants can use to grow.

The science behind the breakthrough

Nitrogenase is found in soil bacteria and can convert gaseous nitrogen into a form usable by plants. While beneficial, it only thrives in low-oxygen conditions. Some plants can store nitrogenase in a protected part of the plant, but wheat is not one of them. This inability means they need high amounts of nitrogenase but have no control over their survival. Fertilizers were the apparent option to compensate.

Previously, experts attempted to create these storage nodules in cereal plants, such as wheat. When this was unsuccessful, scientists focused on how effectively nitrogenase could get into the plant rather than confining it to the roots. If the bacteria could not be stored safely inside the plant, perhaps the plant could protect the nitrogenase until it reached them.

The gene-editing tool, CRISPR, was essential to the process. Using the technology, researchers enhanced wheat's ability to produce apigenin, a flavone that forms biofilms. The biofilm surrounded the bacteria, promoting nitrogen fixation and giving the wheat time to absorb it.

The implications of the technology for agriculture

Farms could change permanently due to innovative nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. The ability to stimulate a wheat plant's natural processes to give the crop a better chance at survival and high yields is groundbreaking. The impacts on the industry could be more disruptive for those growing cereal crops in recent years, resulting in these potential outcomes.

Higher yields and greater stocks

Any wheat-based product has the opportunity to enter store shelves and farmers' markets in greater quantities. If nitrogen fixation delivers consistent year-to-year results, then everything from bread to beer would be more readily available than it is now. Shortages of these products would become less common, especially if they are more environmentally resilient to rising temperatures.

Lower nitrous oxide emissions

Synthetic fertilizers create destructive nitrous oxide. While the chemical compound significantly increases soil nitrogen levels, plants are unable to fully utilize it. This means the rest is released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas, compounding the many influences causing global warming. If the world's farmers cut nitrous oxide from their wheat-farming practices, it would be a notable aid to greenhouse gas reductions.

Cleaner waterways from reduced pollution

With water scarcity continuing to be a global problem and water demand rising, farmers must not contribute to polluting any of these sources. However, synthetic nitrogen fertilizers are a major contaminant of water and aquatic life.

An estimated 50% of these fertilizers go unused by crops, meaning your local experts are wasting half of this expense. Eliminating it would save money and protect the environment, especially when combined with other sustainable farming practices, such as precision agriculture, which could reduce nitrogen losses by 22.6%.

Removing synthetic fertilizers would also prevent you from being exposed to pollutants, helping protect your health from short- and long-term impacts. Broader agricultural contamination results in an estimated 420,000 deaths each year and $110 billion in losses. These disproportionately impact low- and middle-income regions, catalyzing a shift toward greater environmental equity, simply with a fertilizer choice.

The impacts on investors and policymakers

While the technology would have the most immediate influence on wheat farmers, the impact would not stop there. Eventually, you could see investors and legislators changing their decisions and priorities as these discoveries alter agriculture.

Investors

Longtime investors in synthetic fertilizers would have to adapt or consider losses as augmented wheat becomes more popular. Additionally, prospective agricultural stakeholders could direct their funds toward a more sustainable venture, such as self-sustaining wheat, thereby pulling resources away from the chemical fertilizer sector.

The science is both a threat and a benefit in the farming market. However, money that would have been spent on fertilizers would be redirected to booming niches like agritech and biotechnology. The tension would raise competitiveness in the sector, especially as companies start filing for patents.

Policymakers

Depending on the administration, the proliferation of this technology could directly affect your community by law. Many are pressured to meet climate targets, and mandating gene-altered wheat could be one such decision. The move would standardize expectations for cereal farmers, providing greater accountability for the sector's negative impact on the nation.

Additionally, the priorities and buy-in of your elected officials could incentivize wider adoption of these technologies. They could advocate for subsidies to help farmers access these seeds and encourage related decision-making, such as prioritizing climate-resilient species and sustainable crop varieties.

Policymakers could also create laws to support research that could improve yields of other plants, like corn and rice, furthering the industry's advantages for more types of farmers worldwide. Doing so would have long-term benefits for food security, increasing trust between policymakers and constituents. Public leaders have a direct influence on the robustness of agricultural supply chains by paying attention to emerging research, such as that at UC Davis, and by improving public health and well-being in doing so.

Gene-editing industry and public buy-in

CRISPR advancements and gene-editing research are ongoing, with most efforts in the healthcare sector focused on preventing disease and delivering patient-first care. However, innovations outside of healthcare will still catapult the industry. If researchers continue to find game-changing ways to help the public in meaningful, tangible ways, such as food accessibility, it could increase the number of people conceptually invested in gene editing, which continues to be a minority of individuals.

The end of synthetic fertilizers

Nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria could change the way your local farmers grow wheat. Their crops could become more reliable, their profits should rise and their confidence would improve, especially amid the climate crisis. These factors, among many others, explain why research like this is so vital for progress, from a practical perspective to a carbon perspective. In your community, everyone can do their part to learn more about the adverse effects of synthetic fertilizers and raise awareness of research, so public excitement can fuel funding and development for researchers.

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