Increasing drought resistance in crops by 25% - controlling epigenetic expression to abiotic stress through biostimulants and micronutrients

“**愿景：**与诺丁汉特伦特大学（NTU）的可持续农业部门合作，我们打算绘制作物中与干旱相关的非生物胁迫的表观遗传途径，并开发第一种生物刺激素-微量营养素配方，以提高25%的抗旱性-目的是减少农业所需的用水量（灌溉）而不损害生产力。**背景**：该项目建立在英国创新项目710633的成功基础上，在该项目中，我们成功地增加了甜椒（英国最热敏感的作物）对非生物热胁迫的表观遗传表达-使用生物刺激剂，生长中间体和微量营养素。**目的：**利用对表观遗传学的进一步了解，我们打算将这种非生物胁迫反应映射扩展到五种指示作物，并开发一种新的生物解决方案，该解决方案可以从基因上抑制植物对土壤水分减少（干旱条件）的负面反应，并提供必要的微量营养素，以刺激植物在正常情况下持续健康和高产的生长。**重点：**该解决方案将针对需要大量水分或灌溉的作物，如土豆、春小麦、豌豆、生菜和白菜。这些作物为世界范围内种植的更广泛的粮食作物提供了最好的指示作物。我们的目标是减少气候变化对全球作物的影响，因为水资源日益稀缺，关键产区的生长条件变得越来越炎热和干燥。我们相信，这可以通过一种独特的、专有的组合来实现，这种组合主要是天然植物提取物和安全无毒的物质（即使在高速率下多次使用-Campden BRI 2017），而不需要长期的植物育种计划或政治上不可接受的基因改造。**创新：**开发后，我们期望这种独特的微量营养素和生物刺激剂的新组合能显著提高作物对各种形式的非生物胁迫的抵抗力，并刺激水分有限的环境中的生长。我们的初步研究（来自Innovate UK项目710633和实地试验）表明，用水量减少25%是可能的，同时产量（高达30%）、水果产量（40%）、保质期（44%）、抗病性、适口性和矿物质含量也可以实现。**结果：**我们处于生物刺激素和微量营养素技术的前沿，该项目将帮助我们实现3000多万英镑的全球机遇。农民将从减少作物损失、提高产量、加强供应链、减少气候变化影响和提高农业可持续性中受益，这与创新英国的H&LS目标一致。投资回报率:622%

"**VISION:** Working with the Sustainable Agriculture Department at Nottingham Trent University (NTU), we intend to map the epigenetic pathways of drought-related abiotic stress in crops and develop the first biostimulant-micronutrient formula to increase drought resistance by 25% -- with the aim of reducing the water consumption (irrigation) required by agriculture without damaging productivity. **BACKGROUND**: The project builds upon the success of Innovate UK project 710633, in which we managed to increase bell pepper (UK's most heat sensitive crop) epigenetic expression to abiotic heat stress - using biostimulants, intermediates for growth and micronutrients.**OBJECTIVES:** Utilising this increased understanding of epigenetics, we intend to extend this abiotic stress response mapping to five indicator crops and develop a novel bio-solution that genetically suppresses a plant's negative responses to reduced soil moisture (drought conditions) and provides the necessary micronutrients to stimulate continued healthy and productive growth under conditions when the plant would normally fail.**FOCUS:** The solution will be targeted at crops with a high water or irrigation requirement such as potatoes, spring wheat, peas, lettuce and pak choi. These crops provide the best indicator crops for a wider range of food crops grown worldwide.Our aim is to reduce the impact of climate change on crops around the world, as water becomes an increasingly scarce resource and growing conditions become hotter and drier in key production areas. We believe this can be achieved using a unique, proprietary combination of mostly natural plant-extracts and substances that are also safe, toxin-free (even when applied multiple times at high rates -Campden BRI 2017) not requiring long term plant breeding programmes or politically unacceptable genetic modification.**INNOVATION:** When developed, we expect this unique new combination of micronutrients and biostimulants to significantly increase a crop's resistance to all forms of abiotic stress and stimulate growth in environments where moisture is limited. Our initial research (from Innovate UK project 710633, and field tests) suggests a 25% reduction in water consumption will be possible, whilst increases in yields (up to 30%), fruit production (40%), shelf life (44%), disease resistance, palatability and mineral content are also achievable.**OUTCOME:** We are at the forefront of biostimulant and micronutrient technology and this project will help us realise a £30m+ global opportunity. Farmers in turn will benefit from reduced crop losses, improved yields, strengthened supply chains, reduced impact of climate change and increased agricultural sustainability, in line with Innovate UK's H&LS aims. ROI: 622%"