USDA dan EPA Mengumumkan Pemenang Cabaran Inovasi Fertilizer Generasi Seterusnya

WASHINGTON, 19 Oktober 2021 - Hari ini, Jabatan Pertanian AS dan Agensi Perlindungan Alam Sekitar (EPA) AS mengumumkan pemenang Cabaran Inovasi Baja Generasi Seterusnya, yang kedua daripada Perkongsian dan Pertandingan USDA-EPA bersama dua bahagian, mengenai Baja Kecekapan Dipertingkat (EEF) untuk Memajukan Kelestarian Pertanian di Amerika Syarikat. Matlamat pertandingan adalah untuk meningkatkan kecekapan baja untuk meningkatkan hasil tanaman di samping mengurangkan kesan baja terhadap alam sekitar.

Pemenang cabaran menyerahkan konsep untuk teknologi baru yang boleh mengurangkan kesan persekitaran nitrogen dan fosforus daripada pertanian moden sambil mengekalkan atau meningkatkan hasil tanaman. Penyelesaian yang menang menggunakan zarah nano yang memerlukan lebih sedikit baja dan membebaskan nutrien atas permintaan kepada tumbuhan yang sedang membesar, dan kemudian terbiodegradasi kepada bahan tidak berbahaya atau bahkan nutrien; menyokong pertumbuhan tumbuhan yang lebih besar daripada penggunaan baja yang sama atau kurang; dan pendekatan lain.

“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 termasuk:

Penyelesaian Tahap 1 ($17,500):

Dr. Christopher Hendrickson, Aqua-Yield Operations LLC, Draper, Utah, untuk baja pintar nano.

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.

Penyelesaian Tahap 2 ($10,000):

Dr. Kuide Qin, Verdesian Life Sciences, Cary, NC, kerana menggunakan teknologi campuran yang inovatif untuk meningkatkan prestasi nitrapyrin standard industri untuk keberkesanan yang lebih lama, kurang larut lesap nitrat dan pencegahan kakisan peralatan ladang.

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.

Penyelesaian Tahap 3 (Penghormatan):

Dr. Jaroslav Nisler, Institut Botani Eksperimen, Akademi Sains Czech, Republik Czech, kerana menggunakan derivatif hormon pertumbuhan tumbuhan MTU, yang membantu mewujudkan tempoh pertumbuhan yang lebih lama, perlindungan daripada tekanan, tumbuh-tumbuhan yang lebih besar, dan kemungkinan kehilangan nutrien yang berpotensi bagi setiap unit baja yang digunakan.

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 sedang menyelaraskan cabaran EEF dengan The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), Pusat Pembangunan Baja Antarabangsa (IFDC), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), dan Persatuan Penanam Jagung Kebangsaan (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.