USDA lan EPA Ngumumake Pemenang Tantangan Inovasi Pupuk Generasi Sabanjure

WASHINGTON, 19 Oktober 2021 - Dina iki, Departemen Pertanian AS lan Badan Perlindungan Lingkungan AS (EPA) ngumumake para pemenang Tantangan Inovasi Pupuk Generasi Sabanjure, sing nomer loro saka Kemitraan lan Kompetisi USDA-EPA gabungan lan Kompetisi ing Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers (EEFs) kanggo Maju Kelestarian Pertanian ing Amerika Serikat. Tujuan saka kompetisi yaiku ningkatake efisiensi pupuk kanggo nambah asil panen lan nyuda dampak pupuk marang lingkungan.

Pemenang tantangan kasebut ngirimake konsep kanggo teknologi novel sing bisa nyuda efek lingkungan nitrogen lan fosfor saka tetanèn modern nalika njaga utawa nambah asil panen. Solusi sing menang nggunakake nanopartikel sing mbutuhake kurang pupuk lan ngeculake nutrisi sing dikarepake kanggo tuwuh tanduran, lan banjur biodegrade dadi zat sing ora mbebayani utawa malah nutrisi; ndhukung wutah tanduran sing luwih gedhe saka aplikasi pupuk sing padha utawa kurang; lan pendekatan liyane.

“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.

Pemenang kalebu:

Solusi Tier 1 ($17,500):

Dr Christopher Hendrickson, Aqua-Ngasilaken Operasi LLC, Draper, Utah, kanggo pupuk nano-pinter.

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 Tier 2 ($ 10.000):

Dr. Kuide Qin, Verdesian Life Sciences, Cary, NC, kanggo nggunakake teknologi campuran inovatif kanggo nambah kinerja nitrapyrin standar industri kanggo efektifitas maneh, kurang nitrat leaching, lan Nyegah saka karat peralatan farm.

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 Tier 3 (Honorable mention):

Dr Jaroslav Nisler, Institut Botani Eksperimen, Akademi Ilmu Pengetahuan Ceko, Republik Ceko, kanggo nggunakake turunan saka MTU hormon wutah tanduran, kang mbantu nggawe suwé wutah maneh, pangayoman saka kaku, tetanduran luwih gedhe, lan potensial kurang gizi mundhut saben unit pupuk Applied.

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 lan EPA koordinasi tantangan EEF karo The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), lan 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.