Ideas worth spreading

The wheat field that could change the world

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Guntur V. Subbarao |

TED2022

• April 2022

Crop physiologist Guntur V. Subbarao and his team have developed an antibiotic-infused strain of wheat that naturally combats harmful, fertilizer-eating bacteria -- a "monster" contributor to climate change. Learn more about how this breakthrough could once again revolutionize agriculture, increasing crop yields and protecting our planet at the same time.

Crop physiologist Guntur V. Subbarao and his team have developed an antibiotic-infused strain of wheat that naturally combats harmful, fertilizer-eating bacteria -- a "monster" contributor to climate change. Learn more about how this breakthrough could once again revolutionize agriculture, increasing crop yields and protecting our planet at the same time.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Next-generation technologies are needed to limit nitrogen pollution and reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about the UN climate change conference, COP, and its ability to support and fund these emerging scientific advances.

About the speaker

Guntur V. Subbarao

Guntur V. Subbarao

Crop physiologist

See speaker profile

Guntur V. Subbarao investigates how plants maintain soil health -- and how capitalizing on their natural defenses might help us reduce fertilizer leakage and improve crop quality.

Guntur V. Subbarao, Kishii Masahiro, Adrian Bozal-Leorri, et al. | Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2021 | Article

"Enlisting wild grass genes to combat nitrification in wheat farming: A nature-based solution"

This work demonstrates for the first time that by transferring a chromosome segment from a wild-wheat (that is responsible for coding antibiotics), we can double antibiotics production from root systems of cultivated wheats. This makes it possible to develop BNI-enhanced next-generation wheat cultivars that can reduce nitrogen leaking and limit nitrous oxide emissions from wheat farming. This work was selected for the Cozzrelli Prize for 2021 by the National Academy of Sciences, USA.

Guntur V. Subbarao and Timothy D. Searchinger | Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2021 | Article

"A 'more ammonium solution' to mitigate nitrogen pollution and boost crop yields"

This work makes a case for how improving soil ammonium availability by inhibiting soil nitrifier activity can have a multitude of benefits in reducing nitrogen leakage and dramatically improve agricultural productivity.

Guntur V. Subbarao, Jacobo Arango, Kishii Masahiro, et al. | Plant Science, 2017 | Article

"Genetic mitigation strategies to tackle agricultural GHG emissions: The case for biological nitrification inhibition technology"

This work proposes that exploiting BNI-function in crop root systems can be an effective genetic mitigation strategy to curb GHG emissions from agriculture.

Guntur V. Subbarao, Tadashi Yoshihashi, Margaret Worthington, et al. | Plant Science, 2015 | Article

"Suppression of soil nitrification by plants"

This work is a comprehensive review on how plant root systems can suppress soil-nitrifier activity and soil nitrate formation in agriculture.

G. V. Subbarao, K. L. Sahrawat, K. Nakahara, et al. | Annals of Botany, 2012 | Article

"A paradigm shift towards low-nitrifying production systems: the role of biological nitrification inhibition (BNI)"

This work discusses the benefits of shifting crop nitrogen-nutrition from ‘Nitrate-Centric’ (at present) to ‘Ammonium-Centric’ and how genetic exploitation of BNI-function in plant root systems can facilitate such a shift.

G. V. Subbarao, K. Nakahara, M. P. Hurtado, et al. | Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), 2009 | Article

"Evidence for biological nitrification inhibition in Brachiaria pastures"

This work discovers for the first time plant-produced nitrification inhibitors (released from root systems) of a tropical pasture grass, Brachiaria humidicola, and demonstrates its impact on reducing nitrogen leakage and nitrous oxide emissions from fields.

Guntur V. Subbarao, Ban Tomohiro, Kishii Masahiro, et al. | Plant and Soil, 2007 | Article

"Can biological nitrification inhibition (BNI) genes from perennial Leymus racemosus (Triticeae) combat nitrification in wheat farming?"

This work discovers that a wild-wheat has ability to produce large amounts of nitrification inhibitors from root systems and identifies the chromosome that is responsible for coding these antibiotic production.

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Next-generation technologies are needed to limit nitrogen pollution and reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about the UN climate change conference, COP, and its ability to support and fund these emerging scientific advances.