Towards commercialization of crop probiotic(s) that improve nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency (NUE) of corn**and related crops (wheat, annual ryegrass and turfgrasses)

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The world purchases >$100 billion USD in synthetic nitrogen fertilizer each year; it is essential to modern agriculture, however it is costly for farmers and contributes to climate change. An alternative is the use of probiotics that improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), coated onto seeds or sprayed in the field. The global 'biofertilizer' market is growing exponentially, from $1.4 billion in 2016 to ~$4 billion projected by 2023. Following 10 years of research, we have discovered, validated and sought patent protection on an NUE promoting probiotic from a wild corn, called strain 3D9. Here, we wish to test the commercial potential of this probiotic under field conditions in modern corn and relatives including wheat, an animal forage grass (annual ryegrass), and high value turfgrasses.