Cambridge-India Network for Translational Research in Nitrogen

Optimising biological nitrogen (N) use is pivotal to maximizing crop yields and ameliorating the adverse environmental impacts of excess agricultural N application. New opportunity exists to provide solutions to cereal crop N use via the translation of basic research into application. The Cambridge-India Network for Translational Research in N (CINTRIN) will establish a complete but flexible pipeline connecting developmental research, crop breeding, agritechnology and extension. The framework of CINTRIN will be provided by the University of Cambridge, NIAB and ADAS, together with ICRISAT, Punjab Agricultural University, NIPGR and the technology companies KisanHub (SME) and BenchBio (SME). The framework partners are widely connected, opening many opportunitites to expand and extend the VJC in future.

CINTRIN will provide innovative approaches to tackle crop biological N use. Firstly, it will promote a new understanding of the underpinning science associated with optimization of crop N use, built on an exciting new discovery of distinct life history strategies for N use in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. This work has identified N sensitive (NS) and N insensitive (NIS) types which vary fundamentally in their developmental response to N. This work indicates that the ability to protect seed yield under low N supply appears to come at the expense of the ability to exploit high N supply effectively. This model for developmental N use has the potential to revolutionise the way we think about the N requirements and uses of crops.

Within CINTRIN, a translational pipeline will couple the molecular basis of plant development to the physiology of N uptake and partitioning. Through advanced genomics and pre-breeding, new N ideotypes will be defined in crops important for the UK (wheat) and India (wheat, sorghum, pearl and foxtail millet). Field observations and data- driven methods of technology transfer will allow dissemination of the results and ultimately advice on cultivar-specific fertiliser N application to be offered directly to farmers. Secondly, the exchanges in personnel between India and the UK via CINTRIN will enhance the skills of the next generation of plant technologists and provide an exemplar for building capacity in fundamental plant sciences and translation into germplasm and agronomic outputs in both the UK and India. Thirdly, CINTRIN will build on the enterprise and spin-out capacity associated with existing Cambridge and India SME alliances, whereby knowledge can be harnessed by industry to develop wealth and employment in the agri-tech sector.

Overall, the vision for CINTRIN is that networks of applied expertise will feed-forward from advances in developmental biology, through to genomics-led pre-breeding of cereal crop staples with optimal biological N use. The JVC will assimilate feedback from CINTRIN translational and outreach activities which relate to sustainable intensification and yield resilience, particularly via farmer networks in the UK and India. In the UK this will be linked to the Defra Sustainable Intensification Platform (SIP; NIAB leads Project 1, investigating Integrated Farm Management for improved economic, environmental and social performance with a group of 30 partners spanning universities, research institutes, farming industry and environmental organisations).

CINTRIN will deliver a translational pipeline to produce new ideotypes for optimized N use in agriculture. It will provide training in developmental research, and new knowledge relevant to underpinning optimal biological N use for sustainable intensification. It will promote excellence in science in both the UK and India and provide innovation for application in commercial farming activities.

CINTRIN has the potential to deliver extensive scientific, economic and societal impact in the context of crop breeding and improvement in both the UK and India. The major beneficiaries will be:

(i) Scientists, who will benefit from increased basic knowledge of nitrogen in development, and from experience of collaborative working between key expertise in the UK and India, and with technology partners and non-specialists.
(ii) Farmers, who will benefit through advice concerning application of nitrogen targeted to the needs of specific varieties, as well as form a broader general appreciation of the complexity of crop nitrogen requirements. Additional impact will be realised via the development and dissemination of new technology platforms to support on-farm N application.
(iii) Crop breeders, who will benefit from new knowledge which will enable the selection of varieties adapted to the inevitable reduction in nitrogen use which will be demanded by future variety registration practices. For some crops (wheat, sorghum, pearl and foxtail millet) germplasm will be available before the end of the project. Project impact will rely on developing the wider network to include plant breeders in both India and the UK. The core partners have existing links which will be utilised to ensure material reaches commercial breeders.
(iv) Policy makers, particularly in India, who will benefit from sharing of knowledge that can be used to develop legislation limiting nitrogen use and the wider agronomic/production implications of this.
(v) Wider society, who will ultimately benefit through reduction in agro-chemical inputs and increased food security.

None of these impacts could be achieved without the establishment of the proposed partnership.

The potential impact will be widened via the project-specific interactive website. CINTRIN will also use the resources and reputation of NIAB Innovation Farm in the UK and ICRISAT and PAU in India to promote the project to industry, including an annual event. In addition, all partners will use their own well established social media outlets.