New methods to increase crop yields do not need to rely on genetic modification

A bacterium similar to bacteria in human stomachs is being studied by scientists to benefit plants.

According to Technology Review, the new method of treating cotton seeds has affected beneficial internal bacteria to improve the drought tolerance of cotton. This type of beneficial bacteria using this new method is the first Indigo Agriculture startup product . It is known that the project has been expanded to over 50,000 hectares in five different states in the southern United States. David Perry - CEO of Indigo, said the method is as effective as traditional irrigation methods. The company has received about $ 100 million more, thereby increasing the total investment amount to $ 156 million.

Cotton fields are grown from seeds that have been processed by Indigo.

With the current situation, many experts are concerned that global agricultural productivity will not be enough to meet the rapidly growing food needs of people around the world. Land is becoming increasingly scarce and pressure to reduce chemical fertilizers and pesticides has prompted scientists to find new ways to increase productivity.The method of cultivating beneficial bacteria into plants promises to be effective and may even replace the currently controversial method of genetic modification.

Processing seeds containing beneficial bacteria is part of the new biotechnology of modern agriculture. Microbial ecosystems (including bacteria and fungi that live in the roots of trees under the soil, on the surface of plants and inside plant cells) are important for plant resistance and growth. By separating beneficial bacteria and fungi and adding crops, experts hope to improve the tolerance and productivity of many agricultural crops in the near future.

Another agricultural company called Monsanto introduced a variety of microbiological products. However, most products on the market today focus on microorganisms in the soil. Meanwhile, the development focus of Indigo is endogenous bacteria or fungi and bacteria that live inside plant cells.

Besty Arnold - Professor of evolutionary biology, ecology and biology at the University of Arizona and a research collaborator at Indigo, said: "While studying the reaction between these and real bacteria The host has been running for decades but until recently scientists have found a way to apply the results they've collected. "

It can be easily seen that, in the same period of time, Indigo cotton plants grow much more than regular cotton plants and this is considered a good sign in the continuation of the project.

The sample of trees on the left is grown by Indigo seed treatment and the right is from the untreated seed.

Recent advances in DNA sequences and computing have also helped save some costs in the process of analyzing the huge data source of bacterial genetic information. Therefore, the results will help increase crop productivity. So far, Indigo has built a data system of about 10 out of thousands of isolated bacteria separated from plants that can adapt to harsh conditions. Researchers at Indigo used machine learning and a number of other techniques to further explore this method.

Tyler McClendon, president of Oxbow Agriculture, which currently owns 1,000 hectares of Indigo cotton, said he fully believed in Indigo's treatment method and said that this method helps plants grow better than with soil microbial methods that many other companies are using.

According to McClendon, Indigo's business model is unique in that the final technology cost that farmers have to spend is tied to measurable high productivity. With the traditional model, to achieve efficiency, farmers must pay the full cost while Indigo does not require financial commitment in the first time. Instead, Indigo said they only need a part of the value they created when it was time to harvest. Indigo's method will be more easily adopted by growers and help promote the development of future biotechnology.