is obviously a huge breakthrough that will
largely end the continuing application of nitrogen fertilizer to our soils
which has systemically over enriched them and released the inevitable overage
into the groundwater and from there into the watershed itself for a final
concentration at the outlets.
Combining this protocol with the developing biochar
protocol will sequester ample nutrients in the upper working layer and easily
end our need for significant synthetic fertilizers.
We really do now have the tools we need to ensure a
thriving and profoundly diverse agricultural protocol everywhere.
World changing
technology enables crops to take nitrogen from the air
25 Jul 2013
12:21:56.663
PA 249/13
A major new technology
has been developed by The
University of Nottingham, which enables all of the world’s crops to
take nitrogen from the air rather than expensive and environmentally damaging
fertilisers.
Nitrogen fixation, the process by which
nitrogen is converted to ammonia, is vital for plants to survive and grow.
However, only a very small number of plants, most notably legumes (such as
peas, beans and lentils) have the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere
with the help of nitrogen fixing bacteria. The vast majority of plants have to
obtain nitrogen from the soil, and for most crops currently being grown across
the world, this also means a reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
Professor Edward Cocking, Director of The
University of Nottingham’s Centre for Crop Nitrogen Fixation, has developed a
unique method of putting nitrogen-fixing bacteria into the cells of plant
roots. His major breakthrough came when he found a specific strain of
nitrogen-fixing bacteria in sugar-cane which he discovered could
intracellularly colonise all major crop plants. This ground-breaking
development potentially provides every cell in the plant with the ability to
fix atmospheric nitrogen. The implications for agriculture are enormous as this
new technology can provide much of the plant’s nitrogen needs.
Nitrogen pollution is a major global health hazard
A leading world expert in nitrogen and plant science, Professor Cocking has long recognised that there is a critical need to reduce nitrogen pollution caused by nitrogen based fertilisers. Nitrate pollution is a major problem as is also the pollution of the atmosphere by ammonia and oxides of nitrogen.
In addition, nitrate pollution is a health hazard and also causes oxygen-depleted ‘dead zones’ in our waterways and oceans. A recent study estimates that that the annual cost of damage caused by nitrogen pollution across Europe is £60 billion — £280 billion a year.1
Speaking about the technology, which is known as ‘N-Fix’, Professor Cocking said: “Helping plants to naturally obtain the nitrogen they need is a key aspect of World Food Security. The world needs to unhook itself from its ever increasing reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilisers produced from fossil fuels with its high economic costs, its pollution of the environment and its high energy costs.”
A natural and environmentally friendly solution
N-Fix is neither genetic modification nor bio-engineering. It is a naturally occurring nitrogen fixing bacteria which takes up and uses nitrogen from the air. Applied to the cells of plants (intra-cellular) via the seed, it provides every cell in the plant with the ability to fix nitrogen. Plant seeds are coated with these bacteria in order to create a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship and naturally produce nitrogen.
N-Fix is a natural nitrogen seed coating that provides a sustainable solution to fertiliser overuse and Nitrogen pollution. It is environmentally friendly and can be applied to all crops. Over the last 10 years, The University of Nottingham has conducted a series of extensive research programmes which have established proof of principal of the technology in the laboratory, growth rooms and glasshouses.
The University of Nottingham’s Plant and Crop Sciences Division is internationally acclaimed as a centre for fundamental and applied research, underpinning its understanding of agriculture, food production and quality, and the natural environment. It also has one of the largest communities of plant scientists in the UK.
Significant implications for agriculture
Dr Susan Huxtable, Director of Intellectual Property Commercialisation at The University of Nottingham, believes that the technology has potentially major implications for the agricultural industry, she said: “There is a substantial global market for the N-Fix technology, as it can be applied to all crops. It has the power to transform agriculture, while at the same time offering a significant cost benefit to the grower through the savings that they will make in the reduced costs of fertilisers. It is a great example of how University research can have a world-changing impact.”
The N-Fix technology has been licensed by The University of Nottingham to Azotic Technologies Ltd to develop and commercialise N-Fix globally on its behalf for all crop species.
The potential to help feed the developing world
Peter Blezard, CEO of Azotic Technologies added: “Agriculture has to change and N-Fix can make a real and positive contribution to that change. It has enormous potential to help feed more people in many of the poorer parts of the world, while at the same time, dramatically reducing the amount of synthetic nitrogen produced in the world.”
The proof of concept has already been demonstrated. The uptake and fixation of nitrogen in a range of crop species has been proven to work in the laboratory and Azotic is now working on field trials in order to produce robust efficacy data. This will be followed by seeking regulatory approval for N-Fix initially in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada and Brazil, with more countries to follow.
It is anticipated that the N-Fix technology will be commercially available within the next two to three years. For details about the commercial opportunities for N-Fix, visit
No comments:
Post a Comment