SBIR Phase II: The Role of Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) in Plant Growth and Productivity

*9626947 Kinnersley这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目将在第一阶段演示的基础上扩大，证明含有4-氨基丁酸的配方可促进植物生长，减少植物的肥料需求。人们越来越担心提供足够的食物来养活世界上不断增长的人口，以及过度使用氮肥造成的氮污染问题。这为产品创造了在保持或提高作物生产力的同时提高化肥效率的机会。Auxein公司开发了专利配方，显著提高了草坪草、灌木豆和樱桃等各种植物的产量，并降低了实现最佳生产率所需的化肥水平。对处理植物的矿物质分析表明，植物生长所需的常量营养素含量增加，其中组织钾含量的增加最为一致。在经过处理的黑麦草和浮萍中，钾的含量增加了200%以上。GABA介导的植物生长增加和组织钾含量增加之间的相关性导致了一个工作假说，即植物中的GABA生物活性类似于其在动物中的作用机制，在动物中，GABA影响钙和钾的运输。第二阶段的研究目标是开发一种适合商业应用的产品配方，并在田间试验中确定该公司配方的有效性，强调通过改善钾营养来提高产量和质量的目标作物。另一个目标是量化田间可实现的化肥需求节省。第二阶段的研究结果预计将确定该公司的配方在提高植物生长和生产力以及减少植物化肥需求方面的有效性，并证明它们的商业用途。该公司估计，这类产品在美国的总市场机会约为30亿美元，其目标是在产品推出后的五年内实现2亿美元的产品销售额。如果使用可以缓解氮污染，如果GABA通过增加矿物质的有效性在植物中发挥作用，从而改善作物质量，那么产品价值将进一步增加。***

*** 9626947 Kinnersley This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will expand on the Phase I demonstration that formulations containing 4-aminobutyric acid (GABA) increase plant growth and reduce plants' fertilizer requirements. There are growing concerns with both providing enough food to feed the world's growing population and problems of nitrogen pollution caused by overuse of nitrogen fertilizers. This has created opportunities for products to increase fertilizer efficiency while either maintaining or increasing crop productivity. Auxein Corporation has developed proprietary formulations that have significantly increased production in diverse plants such as turf grass, bush beans and cherries, and reduced the levels of fertilizer needed to give optimal productivity. Mineral analysis of treated plants has shown an increase in the content of the macronutrients needed for plant growth with the most consistent increase shown in tissue potassium content. In treated rye grass and duckweed, levels of potassium increased more than 200 percent. The correlation between GABA-mediated increases in plant growth and increases in tissue potassium content led to a working hypothesis that GABA bioactivity in plants is similar to its mechanism of action in animals, where it is known to affect transport of calcium and potassium. The research objectives of Phase II are designed to develop a product formulation suitable for commercial application and establish the efficacy of the company's formulations in field tests, emphasizing targets crops where both increased yield and quality through improved potassium nutrition would be of benefit. Another objective is to quantify the savings in fertilizer requirements that can be achieved in the field. The results of Phase II research are expected to establish the efficacy of the company's formulations for increasing plant growth and productivity and reducing plants fertilizer requirements, and to demonstrate their commercial utility. The co mpany estimates the total U. S. market opportunity for such products to be approximately $3.0 billion, and its goal is to achieve $200 MM in product sales within five years of product introduction. The product value will be further increased if use results in a mitigation of nitrogen pollution and if GABA functions in plants by increasing mineral availability, thereby improving crop quality. ***