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，并开发第一个生物刺激剂-微量营养素配方，将抗旱性提高25% -目的是减少农业所需的水消耗（灌溉）而不损害生产力。** 背景 **：该项目建立在Innovate UK项目710633的成功基础上，在该项目中，我们设法增加了甜椒（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。** 利用这种对表观遗传学的进一步理解，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，该解决方案可以在遗传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。焦点：** 该解决方案将针对对水或灌溉要求高的作物，如土豆、春小麦、豌豆、生菜和小白菜。这些作物为全球范围内种植的更广泛的粮食作物提供了最佳的指标作物，我们的目标是减少气候变化对世界各地农作物的影响，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，这可以通过使用独特的、专有的组合来实现，这些组合主要是天然植物提取物和安全、无毒的物质（即使以高速率多次施用-Campden 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：** 当开发出来时，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，并在水分有限的环境中刺激生长。我们的初步研究（来自Innovate UK项目710633和田间试验）表明，耗水量可以减少25%，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。** 我们处于生物刺激剂和微量营养素技术的最前沿，该项目将帮助我们实现3000万英镑以上的全球机会。反过来，农民将受益于减少作物损失，提高产量，加强供应链，减少气候变化的影响和提高农业可持续性，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%"