(369c) Engineering Microbial Nitrogen Delivery to Cereals

Nitrogenous fertilizer is required for high grain yields from cereals (corn, rice, wheat), but its production and application requires 1% of global energy and it is a major contributor to greenhouse gasses. Bacteria are able to produce ammonia from air and naturally they deliver it to legumes, but it is challenging to move this function to a cereal. I will describe efforts to genetically engineer corn-associated bacteria to produce high titers of secreted ammonia. Further, I will discuss means to create synthetic symbiotic relationships through the creation of chemical communication channels between engineered bacteria and engineered plant systems. This allows each to sense environmental conditions or nutrient needs and alert other member of the consortium to generate a response.