Remodeled Microbes for Spatially and Temporally Targeted Nitrogen Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current agricultural practices rely heavily on resource-intensive and environmentally deleterious Haber-Bosch nitrogen fixation, leading to inefficient and wasteful use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, with over 80% loss before crop utilization, and inadequate nitrogen delivery to non-leguminous crops like wheat, rice, and corn.
Innovation Solution
Employing non-intergeneric remodeled bacteria that colonize the roots of cereal plants, such as corn, to fix atmospheric nitrogen efficiently, producing at least 5.49×10−13 mmol of N per CFU per hour, eliminating the need for in-season exogenous nitrogen application and achieving yield increases of up to 17 bushels per acre without traditional fertilizers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If Haber-Bosch process is used to produce nitrogen fertilizer, then nitrogen can be supplied to crops, but resource consumption increases and environmental damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/chemical Haber-Bosch process with a biological system. Specifically, it uses engineered bacteria that possess nitrogenase enzymes to fix atmospheric nitrogen biologically, substituting the high-energy industrial chemical process with a bio-based solution that consumes significantly fewer resources
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the biological parameters of nitrogen fixation by engineering bacteria to express nitrogenase enzymes at elevated levels and under constitutive control. This changes the fixation rate and efficiency parameters, enabling the bacteria to produce sufficient nitrogen for crops without requiring the extreme conditions of Haber-Bosch
2Quantity of substance
If synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is applied to fields, then crops receive nitrogen, but nitrogen loss increases through runoff and volatilization
Solution Approach 1:
The engineered bacteria perform nitrogen fixation directly at the plant root interface, serving the crop's nitrogen needs autonomously. The bacteria colonize the rhizosphere and fix nitrogen in situ, eliminating the need for external fertilizer application and the associated losses from runoff and volatilization that occur with synthetic fertilizer transport and application
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces engineered bacteria as intermediary organisms between atmospheric nitrogen and the crop. These bacteria act as a biological bridge, fixing nitrogen and delivering it directly to the plant through their metabolic processes, thereby mediating the nitrogen transfer without the harmful intermediaries of industrial chemistry
3Quantity of substance
If heavy machinery is used to apply nitrogen fertilizer, then nitrogen can be delivered to the field, but soil disturbance and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The nitrogen fixation system is self-delivering through the bacteria that autonomously colonize the root interface and fix nitrogen in situ. This eliminates the need for heavy machinery, fuel, and manual labor required for fertilizer application, as the biological system performs the delivery function automatically
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical application system (tractors, spreaders, injectors) with a biological delivery system. The engineered bacteria use their own metabolic machinery to fix nitrogen and transfer it to the plant, substituting mechanical transport and application with biological processes
4Quantity of substance
If traditional nitrogen fixation methods are used, then nitrogen can be fixed, but the process is not adaptable to non-leguminous crops
Solution Approach 1:
The engineered bacteria are designed with universal applicability to multiple crop types, particularly non-leguminous crops like corn, wheat, and rice. The bacteria express nitrogenase under constitutive control and can colonize the rhizosphere of various cereals, providing adaptability across different crop species rather than being limited to legume-symbiotic systems
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the local properties of the bacteria for specific host plants. The engineered strains are tailored to colonize and fix nitrogen effectively at the root interface of non-leguminous crops, with regulatory elements and metabolic pathways optimized for these specific plant types, enabling localized adaptation to different crop requirements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The remodeled bacteria provide targeted and temporally efficient nitrogen fixation, reducing environmental impact and increasing crop yields by 1-10% with minimal infield variability, achieving yields comparable to or exceeding traditional methods while eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers.
Implementation Method 1
These systems utilize an enzyme called nitrogenase that catalyzes the reaction between N2 and H2, and results in nitrogen fixation
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides non-intergeneric remodeled microbes that are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and deliver such to plants in a targeted, efficient, and environmentally sustainable manner. The utilization of the taught microbial products will enable farmers to realize more productive and predictable crop yields without the nutrient degradation, leaching, or toxic runoff associated with traditional synthetically derived nitrogen fertilizer, by mitigating or eliminating the need for exogenous nitrogen-containing fertilizers. The remodeled microbes have unique colonization and nitrogen fixation abilities, which enable the microbes to deliver nitrogen to a cereal plant in a spatially targeted (e.g. rhizospheric) and temporally targeted (e.g. during advantageous stages of plants life cycle) manner. The microbes are able to replace the standard agricultural practice of sidedressing and enable a more environmentally sustainable form of farming. The present disclosure also provides methods of using non-intergeneric remodeled microbes, for example, to fix atmospheric nitrogen by reducing or eliminating the need for exogenous nitrogen-containing fertilizers, to increase yield, and to reduce infield variability in the yield.