Agro-Biotech News

Kasper Røjkjær Andersen and Simona Radutoiu, professors from Aarhus University, have discovered an important key that could significantly reduce global agriculture's dependence on synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, which currently account for about two percent of global energy consumption and emit large amounts of CO2. The discovery centers on understanding how certain legumes, such as peas and clover, can thrive without fertilizer by engaging in symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Scientists are now one step closer to transferring this critical trait to staple crops such as wheat, maize, and rice.