Dr. Guntur Venkata Subbarao, Senior Researcher, JIRCAS receives the Niigata International Food Award Grand Prix
Dr. Guntur Venkata Subbarao, Senior Researcher, JIRCAS received the 8th Niigata International Food Award Grand Prix, and the award ceremony and commemorative lecture for the award winners were held on 20 November at the Toki Messe Niigata Convention Center.
Dr. Guntur Venkata Subbarao noticed that many nitrogen fertilizers, which are essential for modern agriculture, were being leached out by the nitrifying bacteria in the soil, causing environmental and ecological problems, and he discovered that plants have ‘Biological Nitrification Inhibition (BNI)’ (roots release specific substances to inhibit nitrifying bacteria). The discovery and introduction of this function from wild wheat led to the successful development of BNI-enabled wheat. This achievement was awarded the Grand Prix for its global reputation for reducing the environmental impact from wheat production.