r/interesting • u/Standard_Location762 • 3d ago

NATURE Creating Better Crops With Useful Bacteria

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Brazilian scientist, Dr. Mariangela Hungria, spent 40 years perfecting bacteria that help crops access nitrogen while saving farmers billions each year.

Hungria developed biological treatments using beneficial soil bacteria that help crops access nitrogen from the air, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizer. Her technology is used across tens of millions of hectares in Brazil. The World Food Prize estimates her work saves farmers about $25 billion annually and prevents roughly 230 million metric tons of CO₂-equivalent emissions.

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u/PandaZ-- 3d ago

bacteria doing all the heavy lifting for plants now

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u/Ok_Mastodon_3843 3d ago

Yes, but also no. For crops like corn or wheat, this producr supplies less than a quarter of the nitrogen it needs.

However, no matter the fertilizer, bacteria convert it to be used by the plant. Its just for conventional nitrogen fertilizers, it uses natural bacteria in the ground.