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One of the largest input costs in agriculture is fertilizer.
Because nitrogen fertilizer is made via an energy intensive
process, the costs are expected to rise sharply as the price
of energy continues to rise. The use of fertilizers also
poses an environmental problem because substantial proportions
of fertilizer become mobilized by rain or irrigation and may
cause damage to nearby lakes and streams where the nutrients
cause eutrophication.
Mendel has identified several genes that greatly improve the
efficiency with which plants utilize nitrogen fertilizer.
The effect can be seen in the photo above in which transgenic
plants (on the right) are able to grow on a medium with very
low levels of nitrogen whereas the unmodified plants on the
left are severely stressed and grow more slowly.
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