India-UK Nitrogen Fixation Centre (IUNFC)

Nitrogen is an essential element of biological molecules and life on earth. Lack of usable nitrogen limits growth of microbes, plants, and animals. Lack of nitrogen in agricultural soils limits plant production of food, feed, fibre and fuel. Nature solved the nitrogen limitation problem via evolution of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in diazotrophic bacteria that reduce atmospheric N2 to NH3, which is readily assimilated into biological molecules. Biological nitrogen fixation is catalyzed by a complex metalloenzyme called nitrogenase whose oxygen-sensitivity may explain its restricted distribution amongst prokaryotes. Some plants, including most legumes and a few non-legumes form intimate, nitrogen-fixing symbioses with diazotrophs that provide the plants with ammonia. As a consequence, legumes have been an integral part of sustainable agricultural systems for thousands of years. However, in an effort to increase plant yields large-scale use of industrially-produced N-fertilizer has doubled the influx of N into the terrestrial biogeochemical N-cycle, with serious negative consequences for human health and the natural environment. Therefore, the long-term sustainability of massive N-fertilizer inputs in agriculture has come into question. A team of eight investigators in India and two in the UK have come together to enhance the use of legumes, increase their effectiveness at fixing nitrogen and develop endophytic diazotrophs for use on cereals such as rice. Our focus is on pigeon pea, which is the second most widely planted legume in India but suffers from poor rates of BNF and low yields. We will select elite lines of pigeon pea and competitive rhizobial inoculants to maximise yields while improving their robustness. In addition we will develop phosphate solubilising strains of rhizobia as the supply of phosphorous often limits the rates on BNF and plant yield. Desirable traits for BNF and phosphate solubilisation will then be stacked into rhizobial inocula. A final long-term aim is the transfer of BNF to cereals, particularly rice, by the use of endophytic diazoptophs that can be inoculated onto cereals. This will be done both by selection of new endophytic diazotrophs and by manipulation of the control of BNF and ammonia secretion in elite strains. To achieve these aims we bring together the national leaders in India and the UK with expertise in bacterial and plant genetics, genomics, biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, physiology, synthetic biology combined with a deep knowledge of BNF in Indian soils and different regions. Improving BNF in our target plants will increase croyields for resource-poor farmers while decreasing the use and environmental-impact of industrial N-fertilizers.

This research project entails fundamental studies of the mechanisms involved in biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), but its enormous relevance to the economic wellbeing of Indian farmers is reflected in the research team and their close interactions with large-scale projects across India. The team intends to pursue activities with potential to lead to; 1) economic impact through education and access to selected plant lines/bacterial inoculants for small-scale and family farmers in India. Further economic impact will be achieved through the education of young scientists, potentially as future leaders in the field of sustainable development. 2) social impact through outreach and education. The importance of translating the research findings on BNF into changing agricultural practices in India will be enhanced by public engagement by project participants in the global issue of sustainable development. IUNFC's Indian team have well-established collaborative links with Indian farmers. This ensures a good appreciation of how new products and services would be taken up and applied in agricultural practice in India. Dr DLN Rao (Indian Lead) has coordinated ICAR's 'All India Coordinated Project on Biological Nitrogen Fixation' and now its successor 'All India Network Project on Soil Biodiversity-Biofertilizers' at 20 centres all over India. Following isolation and characterization of the best rhizobia and plant growth-promoting bacteria for all crops, over last 15 years the following have been successfully used to spread awareness of inoculants usage. IUNFCs Indian team have established contacts in the inoculant industry, which may provide routes to market and development of products arising from the research project. As the project progresses, the outputs will be assessed for intellectual property protection, in conjunction with the knowledge transfer team from each of the eight institutions involved (six in India, two in UK). We will use the expertise of all the institutions, e.g. ISIS Innovation Ltd. at University of Oxford, who will support the team in pursuing further relationships with industry for commercialisation of new technologies. These earlier contacts will be leveraged, together with identification of other appropriate commercial partners. Industry contacts will be pursued from companies in attendance at subject-area conferences, at a time when the team are presenting results from their studies. Furthermore, Prof Poole, Prof Ray Dixon and other members of the UK team engaged in the project intend to continue to develop their media relations and communications skills via training, to help them in broad dissemination and public engagement relating to the research area and specific project outputs.