Engineering soil microbes to fix atmospheric nitrogen and reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers in cereal crops is a hot space in ag biologicals. But to truly deliver on their promise, nitrogen-fixing bugs need to up their game, says Michael Miile, [CEO of Bayer/Ginkgo Bioworks-led joint venture Joyn Bio].
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To have a major impact on cereal crops, you ideally want microbes that can be applied as seed coatings with a shelf-life of two or even three years (not two months, as some current offerings promise) with higher rates of efficacy across multiple soil types, regions, and crops, [said] Miile.
The bugs … have to proliferate, colonize plant roots, and stay around long enough to supply nitrogen to the plants throughout the growing cycle, he said.
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[Reducing] the amount of nitrogen fertilizer sprayed on key crops by 25% would have a significant impact, both in terms of reducing the damaging effects of runoff and reducing greenhouse gas emissions produced from ammonia production, he said.
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Owing to confidentiality agreements, Miile can’t share details on when Bayer expects to hit the market with a nitrogen-fixing microbial product ….
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