Crops can be modified to enhance their symbiotic relationships with microbes, particularly in the realm of biological nitrogen fixation.
Microbe-optimized crops
Crops can be modified to enhance their symbiotic relationships with microbes, particularly in the realm of biological nitrogen fixation. It involves editing plant genetics to create crops that establish more efficient and mutually beneficial interactions with microbes, such as rhizobia bacteria, responsible for nitrogen fixation in legumes. In the case of nitrogen fixation, this innovation aims to enhance various plants’ ability to form nodules and house these microbes, allowing them to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for the plant’s growth (see innovation “Nitrogen fixing cereals”). In general, it can strengthen the relationship between plants and microbes to optimize their symbiotic relationships. This innovation is particularly advantageous given the rapid development of microbial fertilizers and pesticides, enhancing their effectiveness.
This innovation addresses the critical need to reduce the environmental footprint of agriculture while simultaneously increasing productivity without requiring additional inputs. By optimizing the relationship between plants and microbes, crops can reduce their reliance on synthetic fertilizers, thereby promoting sustainable agriculture and mitigating the environmental impact associated with excessive fertilizer use. Synthetic fertilizers are energy-intensive to produce, rely on fossil fuels, and contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
What impact could it have?
Potential for transformative impact
medium
This innovation has the potential to be a game changer with a medium impact. Its impact could be significantly amplified when bundled with other microbial innovations, such as engineered microbial fertilizers.
Human health impact
medium
This innovation offers medium health benefits by potentially increasing food security and mitigating human health risks associated with synthetic fertilizer runoff and pollution.
Environmental impact
high
The environmental benefits of this innovation are significant. It allows for sustainable management of the nitrogen cycle and mitigates various environmental impacts associated with synthetic fertilizers, including reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions associated with its production and reducing impacts from runoff and soil infertility caused by excess use. The indirect benefits include potential positive impacts on land resources, such as land conservation and a smaller land footprint relative to fossil fuels.
Livelihood impact
medium
The innovation can have medium livelihood impacts, leading to increased profitability for farmers through optimized microbe interactions, resulting in increased productivity and reduced input costs. It also contributes to improved food security by enhancing crop yields.
Socio-cultural impact
medium
There are expected medium social acceptability constraints due to concerns about genetically modified crops. The level of acceptance may depend on the methodology employed, as some approaches may avoid GMO labeling.
Equity impact
low - medium
Equity impacts are likely to be small to medium, contingent on the affordability and accessibility of the final products.
What factors influence scaling?
Investment trends for next-generation crops are characterized by a growing commitment to agricultural innovation and sustainability. Investors are increasingly directing funds toward crop research and development that focuses on traits such as improved resilience to climate change, enhanced nutritional content, and higher yields with reduced resource inputs. With recent developments in genetic editing techniques, with the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology, this field is attracting substantial investments.
There is potential for bundling with other innovations, such as plant ecological engineering that integrates plant breeding with microbiome selection.
The scope of this innovation is global.
This innovation has the potential to be adopted by all scales of food system actors. However, societal and policy acceptance, particularly regarding the 'genetically modified' labeling, may serve as a barrier to uptake.
This innovation has the potential to be adopted by all scales of food system actors. However, societal and policy acceptance, particularly regarding the 'genetically modified' labeling, may serve as a barrier to uptake.
The disruption caused by this innovation is expected to be low for farmers, particularly those cultivating different crops. However, it may result in high disruption to the synthetic fertilizer industry along the value chain. There is also the possibility of high disruption to consumers, especially due to concerns about genetically modified crops.
The key players in this innovation are currently unknown.
Several potential unintended consequences exist. Disrupting the balance of the soil microbiome is a significant risk, as this is an emerging technology and the real-life and long-term impacts are unknown. Additionally important to consider are the effects of climate change on plant-microbe interactions, potential plant growth stunting due to energy loss in symbiotic relationships with microbes, and shifts in power relations, which may depend on social and policy acceptance.
There is sparse literature on this innovation. For example, a study has shown that Actinobacteria symbiotic relationships were established in systems intercropped with genetically modified sugarcane.
Where is acceleration most needed?
Accelerator scores reflect the degree of action needed across eight key accelerators of change that can enable an innovation to scale. A higher score signals that greater effort and support are needed in that area to unlock uptake at scale. Click on each accelerator to see what’s been achieved and what still needs attention.
Building Trust
Building Trust
Building trust is deemed important to address due to the lack of understanding and sound knowledge about the not only the genetic modification system but also microbial technologies. This is reflected in the formulation of policies and regulatory frameworks for biosafety and their implementation.
Transforming Mindsets
Transforming Mindsets
Transforming mindsets toward genetically modified organisms is crucial. There is a need to remove ambivalent attitudes amongst the public and politicians to ensure acceptance, which is essential for widespread adoption among consumers and farmers.
Enabling Social License
Enabling Social License
Enabling social license is considered crucial because policymakers and the public need to be conscientious about the general principles of genetic engineering and microbial technologies for better decision-making.
Ensuring Stable Finance
Ensuring Stable Finance
Ensuring stable finance is urgent as grants or capital availability is needed for researchers, entrepreneurs, producers, and marketers.
Designing Market Incentives
Designing Market Incentives
Farmers are often hesitant with GMOs, especially in more traditional agricultural systems. Market incentives are essential to encourage implementation, particularly concerning microbiome modification.
Changing Policies and Regulations
Changing Policies and Regulations
Current policies and regulations need to embrace genetic modification for this innovation to progress.
Safeguarding Against Undesirable Effects
Safeguarding Against Undesirable Effects
Safeguarding against undesirable effects is important to address, given the high risks of unintended consequences, including impacts on microbial ecosystems, knock-on effects, and potential plant growth stunting.
Developing Transition Pathways
Developing Transition Pathways
A gradual a smooth transition from synthetic fertilizer to biological nitrogen fixation and microbial systems is needed. Depending on technological advancements, there may be incremental shifts before full replacement.
Reference
Clouse, K. M., & Wagner, M. R. (2021). Plant Genetics as a Tool for Manipulating Crop Microbiomes: Opportunities and Challenges. In Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (Vol. 9). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2021.567548
Shelake, R. M., Pramanik, D., & Kim, J.-Y. (2019). Exploration of Plant-Microbe Interactions for Sustainable Agriculture in CRISPR Era. In Microorganisms (Vol. 7, Issue 8, p. 269). MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms7080269
Trivedi, P., Schenk, P. M., Wallenstein, M. D., & Singh, B. K. (2017). Tiny Microbes, Big Yields: enhancing food crop production with biological solutions. In Microbial Biotechnology (Vol. 10, Issue 5, pp. 999–1003). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.12804
Wei, B., Zhang, J., Wen, R., Chen, T., Xia, N., Liu, Y., & Wang, Z. (2021). Genetically Modified Sugarcane Intercropping Soybean Impact on Rhizosphere Bacterial Communities and Co-occurrence Patterns. In Frontiers in Microbiology (Vol. 12). Frontiers Media SA. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.742341
