SBIR Phase I: Development of novel nitrogen fertilizers based on the endophytic microbiome

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发一种益生菌，可以取代国内玉米生产中使用的高达50亿美元的化肥。这种新型益生菌将减少化肥径流造成的水污染，减少温室气体排放，并通过降低生产成本来节约能源。在全球范围内，这种产品可能会在中国和印度等化肥需求超过可用供应的地区产生影响。这一技术平台可能被用来快速为其他作物创造新的益生菌，并在未来专注于氮肥以外的应用。这项SBIR一期项目建议开发为作物提供固定氮的益生菌内生菌，作为化肥的替代品。微生物通过沉默固氮基因来响应化肥以节约能源。该项目旨在破坏传感肥料和微生物固氮之间的遗传联系，以便益生菌能够在今天的农田中产生氮。这项工作将评估进化的微生物在田间土壤中的持久性，同时评估提供有效作物定居和延长货架期的配方策略。如果成功，这项工作将为从植物内生菌中常规开发肥料奠定基础。此外，这些内生菌可以作为了解微生物如何与植物和周围微生物群落建立牢固关系的模型。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is the development of a probiotic that can replace up to $5B of chemical fertilizers used in domestic corn production. This novel probiotic would reduce water pollution from fertilizer runoff, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and conserve energy resources through lower production costs. Globally, this product could have an impact in regions like China and India where fertilizer demand outpaces available supply. This technology platform may be used to rapidly create new probiotics for other crops, and focus on applications beyond nitrogen fertilizer, in the future.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop probiotic endophytes that provide fixed nitrogen to crops as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Microbes silence genes for nitrogen fixation in response to fertilizer to conserve energy. This project aims to disrupt the genetic link between sensing fertilizer and microbial nitrogen fixation, so that a probiotic can produce nitrogen in fields today. This work will evaluate the persistence of evolved microbes in field soils while assessing formulation strategies that confer effective crop colonization and improved shelf life. If successful, this work will provide a foundation for routine development of fertilizers from plant endophytes. Further, these endophytes could serve as a model for understanding how microbes establish robust relationships with plants and the surrounding microbial community.