USDA dan EPA Umumkan Pemenang Tantangan Inovasi Pupuk Generasi Berikutnya

WASHINGTON, 19 Oktober 2021 - Hari ini, Departemen Pertanian AS dan Badan Perlindungan Lingkungan AS (EPA) mengumumkan pemenang Next Gen Fertilizer Innovations Challenge, bagian kedua dari dua bagian Kemitraan dan Kompetisi USDA-EPA untuk Pupuk Efisiensi Tinggi (EEF) guna Memajukan Keberlanjutan Pertanian di Amerika Serikat. Tujuan dari kompetisi ini adalah untuk meningkatkan efisiensi pupuk guna meningkatkan hasil panen sekaligus mengurangi dampak pupuk terhadap lingkungan.

Pemenang tantangan ini mengajukan konsep untuk teknologi baru yang dapat mengurangi dampak lingkungan dari nitrogen dan fosfor dari pertanian modern sambil mempertahankan atau meningkatkan hasil panen. Solusi pemenang menggunakan nanopartikel yang membutuhkan lebih sedikit pupuk dan melepaskan nutrisi sesuai permintaan ke tanaman yang sedang tumbuh, lalu terurai secara biologis menjadi zat yang tidak berbahaya atau bahkan nutrisi; mendukung pertumbuhan tanaman yang lebih besar dari aplikasi pupuk yang sama atau lebih sedikit; dan pendekatan lainnya.

“Farmers, ranchers, and foresters are well-positioned to be leaders in tackling climate change through technological innovation,” said Acting USDA Chief Scientist Hubert Hamer. “Through programs like the Next Gen Fertilizer Innovations Challenge, USDA is partnering with the private sector to find new climate-smart solutions that are good for farmers and good for the environment.”

“The goal of the challenge is to develop and use innovative and affordable technologies to reduce environmental impacts of modern agriculture on our air, land, and water, while maintaining agricultural productivity and profitability,” said Wayne Cascio, acting principal deputy assistant administrator for science for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “We are excited about the possibilities and continued new work in this area.”

The winning concepts include a range of solutions that can improve environmental outcomes, including reduced nitrous oxide emissions—the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture— while maintaining or increasing crop yields.

Pemenangnya meliputi:

Solusi tingkat 1 (hadiah $17.500):

Dr. Christopher Hendrickson, Aqua-Yield Operations LLC, Draper, Utah, untuk pupuk nano-cerdas.

Taylor Pursell, Pursell Agri-Tech, Sylacauga, Ala., for “Urea 2.0,” which replaces the conventional urea core with a customizable mixture of materials to provide fertilizers tailored to local needs.

Solusi tingkat 2 (hadiah $10.000):

Dr. Kuide Qin, Verdesian Life Sciences, Cary, NC, karena menggunakan teknologi campuran inovatif untuk meningkatkan kinerja nitrapyrin standar industri agar efektif lebih lama, lebih sedikit pelindian nitrat, dan mencegah korosi pada peralatan pertanian.

Dr. Catherine Roue, Fertinagro Biotech International, Portage, Mich., for “Phosphate Liberation Booster” technology, which uses secretions from phosphate-starved plants to boost plant uptake so less fertilizer may be added and legacy phosphorus can be accessed.

Chandrika Varadachari, Agtec Innovations Inc., Los Altos, Calif., for “Smart-N,” which is a smart-fertilizer that releases nutrients on-demand by the crop and which creates a chemical “cage” for urea that dissolves into plant nutrients.

Solusi Tingkat 3 (Penghargaan terhormat):

Dr. Jaroslav Nisler, Institut Botani Eksperimental, Akademi Ilmu Pengetahuan Ceko, Republik Ceko, atas penggunaan turunan hormon pertumbuhan tanaman MTU, yang membantu menciptakan periode pertumbuhan yang lebih panjang, perlindungan dari stres, tanaman yang lebih besar, dan kemungkinan berkurangnya kehilangan nutrisi per unit pupuk yang diberikan.

Dr. Leanne Gilbertson, Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Pittsburgh, Penn., for creating a “protected fertilizer package,” which can carry nutrients through soil pores to the area around the plant roots.

Dr. Robert Neidermyer, Holganix LLC, Aston, Penn., for “Bio 800+,” a microbial inoculant that harnesses the power of over 800 species of soil microbes, kelp, and other soil amending ingredients to promote greater crop production and plant health.

Paul Mullins, Brandon Products Ltd., Ireland, for “BBS-1,” a biostimulant derived from seaweed extract that is applied as a fertilizer coating to improve nitrogen-uptake in root cells.

USDA dan EPA mengoordinasikan tantangan EEF dengan The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), dan National Corn Growers Association (NCGA).

The competition launched on August 26, 2020. Part two of the first challenge, “EEFs: Environmental and Agronomic Challenge,” is ongoing. More information can be found at: www.epa.gov/innovation/next-gen-fertilizer-challenges.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.