CRISPR Wheat Produces Own Fertilizer

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, successfully developed wheat plants that can produce their own fertilizer. This breakthrough, reported in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, could help reduce air and water pollution and lower farming costs.

The research team, led by Prof. Eduardo Blumwald from the Department of Plant Sciences, used the CRISPR gene editing tool to make a naturally occurring chemical. When the plant releases the excess chemical into the soil, it stimulates soil bacteria to undergo nitrogen fixation. Through this process, the nitrogen in the air is converted into a form that can be used by the plants to grow.

In 2023, farmers in the US spent about US$36 billion on fertilizers. According to Prof. Blumwald, nearly 500 million acres in the U.S. are planted with cereals. “Imagine, if you could save 10% of the amount of fertilizer being used on that land,” he pondered. “I'm calculating conservatively: That should be a savings of more than a billion dollars every year.”

The UC Davis team has filed a patent application for the technology.

Read more from UC Davis.