Project Details

Introduce BNI-enabled wheat varieties with improved nitrogen utilization to India
Almost half of the nitrogen fertilizer used in crop production is lost to the environment, which causes water pollution and contributes to global warming. In crops with the improved ability of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI), BNI substances secreted from the roots inhibit the nitrification process in the soil, which improves the nitrogen utilization rate and enables a high yield maintained with the application of less fertilizer. We are raising wheat varieties with high BNI function and introducing them into the wheat cultivation systems of the Indo-Gangetic plain in India, where large amounts of fertilizer are currently applied, and will evaluate their effectiveness from environmental and economic perspectives.

Reducing the amount of fertilizer has a double benefit to the local economy and the global environment.
The reduction in fertilizer use as a result of the introduction of BNI-enabled wheat varieties should have a positive effect not only on the wheat cultivators of the Indo-Gangetic plain but also on the Indian economy, which pays out large amounts in fertilizer subsidies. It should also decrease N₂O gas emissions and nitrate leaching from agricultural land, creating a healthier global nitrogen cycle.