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)可持续农业部合作，我们打算绘制与干旱相关的非生物胁迫的表观遗传路径图，并开发第一个生物刺激剂-微量营养素配方，将抗旱性提高25%-目的是在不损害生产力的情况下减少农业所需的用水量(灌溉)。**背景**：该项目建立在创新英国项目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)的表观遗传表达，以适应非生物热应激-使用生物刺激剂、生长中间体和微量营养素。**目标：**利用对表观遗传学的加深理解，我们打算将这种非生物胁迫反应图谱扩展到五种指示作物，并开发一种新的生物解决方案，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继续健康和富有成效的生长。**焦点：**该解决方案将针对对水或灌溉要求很高的作物，如土豆、春小麦、豌豆、生菜和小白菜。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佳的指示作物。我们的目标是减少气候变化对世界各地作物的影响，因为水成为一种日益稀缺的资源，关键产区的生长条件变得更加炎热和干燥。我们相信，这可以通过一种独特的、专有的组合来实现，这种组合大多是天然的植物提取物和物质，也是安全、无毒的(即使在高剂量多次使用的情况下也是如此--坎普登BRI 2017)，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：**一旦开发出来，我们预计这种独特的微量营养素和生物刺激剂的新组合将显著提高作物对各种形式非生物胁迫的抵抗力，并在水分有限的环境中刺激生长。我们的初步研究(来自创新英国项目710633和田间试验)表明，用水量将有可能减少25%，同时产量(高达30%)、水果产量(40%)、保质期(44%)、抗病能力、适口性和矿物质含量也可以提高。**结果：**我们处于生物刺激剂和微量营养素技术的前沿，该项目将帮助我们实现3000万GB以上的全球机遇。反过来，农民将受益于作物损失的减少、产量的提高、供应链的加强、气候变化的影响减少和农业可持续性的提高，这与Innovate UK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%"