Nitrogen is a reality of growing plants, and must be supplied to maximize crop yields. At the same time our atmosphere is >70% nitrogen that is not usable by plants in its atmospheric form. Humans have devised processes to “fix” nitrogen into plant usable forms, but they require energy and the products need to be transported, both leading to a substantial carbon footprint. A number of microbes naturally fix nitrogen, yet do not form good associations with all plants. Joyn Bio is a collaborative effort by a number of companies in chemistry and synthetic biology. Their CEO Dr. Michael Mille talks about efforts to engineer microbes that can form tight associations with crop plants and fix the nitrogen they need. These strategies seek to lower the carbon footprint of farming, at the same time limiting nitrogen pollution by producing it directly in association with the plant that needs it.
Talking Biotech is a weekly podcast that uncovers the stories, ideas and research of people at the frontier of biology and engineering.
Each episode explores how science and technology will transform agriculture, protect the environment, and feed 10 billion people by 2050.
Interviews are led by Dr. Kevin Folta, a professor of molecular biology and genomics.