Nutrient Use Efficiency

Many annual crops, including corn, which is the highest acreage crop grown in North America, require the application of vast quantities of artificial nitrogen fertilizer in order to maintain productivity. The production of fertilizer is extremely energy intensive; this process requires the combustion of large amounts of fossil fuel resulting in not only a large financial outlay, but also the release of environmentally damaging green-house gases into the atmosphere. As the costs of fertilizer production rise with increasing energy costs, the price of food will inevitably be driven up further. Additionally, fertilizer has a tendency to leach from agricultural land and pollute surrounding water supplies. To address these problems, Mendel has identified transcription factors which enhance the ability of plants to grow efficiently with minimum fertilizer inputs.