Bacteria support sustainable sugarcane production

Australian scientists have discovered a bacterium that can increase sugarcane production and reduce fertilizer use in farming.

Sugar is an important commodity worldwide. Sugarcane produces about 80% of global sugar production. Sugarcane prices have risen at a higher rate than inflation over the past 30 years, due to rising fertilizer prices due to increasing global demand for fertilizer, and because of the decline in agricultural land quality. Moreover, due to increasing pressure on water, energy and other resources, one must consider reducing the use of synthetic chemicals in agriculture.

Scientists studied sugarcane roots and developed new bacteria, called Burkholderia australis , to promote the growth of sugarcane through a process called nitrogen fixation .

Bacteria are often widely used in sugarcane production as well as with other crops, in which bacteria help break down organic matter in the soil to provide essential nutrients for growing plants, or turning converting nitrogen in the air into a nitrogen compound needed for plant growth (also called biological nitrogen fixation).

The team tested bacteria by examining the ability of sugarcane roots to grow and sequencing the genome to confirm the genetic ability to convert nitrogen into food for sugarcane.

Scientists are also looking for bacteria to break down waste in sugar production from sugarcane, or animal manure to provide better natural fertilizer for next-generation crop production. Researchers hope to conduct field experiments to support the development of commercial products to improve sugarcane yield, while reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers.