Genetic mitigation of climate change through Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI)

SATOSHI TOBITA

Program Director

Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS)

1

N cycle is far beyond the limit (as seen in the planetary boundary) • Modern agriculture depends

heavily on fertilizer use.• Fertilizer-N use efficiency is very

low (68% om 1961 45% in 1981 >30% in 2010).

Environmental Crises by reactive nitrogen from croplandsGroundwater pollution by leached nitrate, and acceleration of global warming by N2O emission

Low FNUE attributed to too speedy and uncontrollable nitrification in the soilNitrification should be

inhibited by any means

Biological nitrification inhibition (BNI): One of the promising technology 2BNI

Biological Nitrification Inhibition

decomposition

Microbial -N

Nitrite-N

(NO2-)

Ammonia oxidizersAOB/AOA

denitrification

FertilizerNitrogen

Ammonium-N (NH4

+)

Nitrate-N (NO3

-)

BNI Substances

Nitrite oxidizing bacteria

GHG(N2O）

NitratePollution 3

NON2

leachingThe Concept and function of BNI

BNIBiological Nitrification Inhibition

Global needs of the BNI technologySuperiority and advantages of the BNI technology

Cost effective and scalableDelivery of BNIs - precise and effective Cocktail of inhibitors from BNIs – more stable effect No negative environmental consequencesNo health issues on food or feed qualityImprove soil-N-retention and fertility

BNIBiological Nitrification Inhibition

Synthetic nitrification inhibitors Urease inhibitors Slow-release nitrogen fertilizers Polythene-coated nitrogen fertilizers Split-Nitrogen applications Precision farming – ‘Green-seeker’ technology AWD (alternate wetting and drying) for paddy

rice systems

Current technologies to reduce nitrification and N2O emission

Evidence of benefits (Environment)N2O emission negatively correlates with the activity of BNI secretion from the species planted (adapted from Subbarao et al., 2012).

BNIBiological Nitrification Inhibition

Corn grain yield in fields with previous land use of Brachiaria (BNI field) and crops (non- BNI field). Data and image are provided by Dr. Jacobo Arango, CIAT, Colombia.

Evidence of benefits (Agriculture)

BNIBiological Nitrification Inhibition

The BNI technology • Primarily discovered the phenomenon by Japanese scientists in

Latin America.• A lot of efforts have been paid by JIRCAS and collaborators for the

scientific recognition of the existence and significance of BNI.

Modified from Coskun et al., 2017

BNIBiological Nitrification Inhibition

The BNI technology Technologies are being made by collaboration in the consortium centered in Japan

BNIBiological Nitrification Inhibition

www.jircas.go.jp

Thanks for your attention!