An Opinion article by JIRCAS and Princeton University, A “more ammonium solution” to mitigate nitrogen pollution, boosts crop yields, was published in the June 1st edition of the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of United States of America (PNAS).
The discussions during the 3rd International BNI Meeting held in Tsukuba, Japan organized by JIRCAS in 2018 provided the inspiration to develop this article.
The article proposes that “more ammonium” through the control of soil nitrification is an important solution for establishing a production system that mitigates nitrogen pollution and boosts crop yields. It is virtually impossible to completely stop nitrification, which is a function of soil microorganisms, but with the progress of BNI research and the combination of BNI and SNI in the field, it is becoming possible to establish an earth-friendly food production system that reduces nitrogen pollution from farmland while increasing the nitrogen use efficiency of crops and increasing food production.
BNI has the potential to overcome the limitations of SNI and improve the nitrogen use efficiency through the combined use of crop varieties that efficiently utilize ammonium. The effective use of "ammonium utilization" in the global food production system is expected to become a new solution to reduce nitrogen pollution and increase food production.
The development of food production systems utilizing BNI technology is also mentioned in Green Growth Strategy for Carbon Neutrality by 2050 from the Japanese government and the Green Food System Strategy from the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.
JIRCAS together with BNI International Consortium members will continue to promote the development of planet-friendly and highly efficient food production systems utilizing BNI technology.
