Boerenproblematiekverzameltopic #8 - Schrappen, vertragen, b

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AI-overzicht
The Quest for Self-Fertilizing Crops – GROW magazine
Self-fertilizing crops, or nitrogen-fixing crops, are plants engineered or bred to obtain nitrogen directly from the air via symbiotic soil bacteria, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers.
Key advancements include CRISPR-edited wheat, corn, and legumes that use root-associated microbes to boost yields while reducing environmental pollution.
Key Types and Research Developments

Legumes (Natural Fixers): Crops like peas, peanuts, soybeans, and lentils are natural self-fertilizers, creating partnerships with Rhizobium bacteria to convert nitrogen gas into usable ammonia.

Engineered Cereals: Scientists have successfully edited wheat to produce compounds that attract nitrogen-fixing bacteria, allowing them to thrive in low-nitrogen conditions.
Microbe-Based Approaches: Research is focusing on coating seeds with specialized bacteria (like in some corn varieties) that provide nutrients directly to roots.

Molecular Switching: Researchers have identified methods to alter plant immune responses, encouraging, rather than rejecting, beneficial bacteria in crops like barley and rice.
Benefits of Self-Fertilizing Crops

Environmental Protection: Drastically reduces nitrogen runoff, which pollutes waterways, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions associated with fertilizer production.
Sustainability: Reduces reliance on fossil energy-intensive chemical fertilizers.

Economic Efficiency: Lowers costs for farmers by reducing the need to purchase synthetic inputs.
Current research aims to scale these technologies to major staple crops like wheat, rice, and corn to improve global food security.

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AI-overzicht
Bayer aims to help feed a growing global population by 2050 through sustainable agriculture, targeting a 50% increase in crop production while restoring natural resources.
The company focuses on innovative seeds, digital farming, and regenerative practices to support both commercial and smallholder farmers, as part of their "Health for All, Hunger for None" vision.

Key strategies for this goal include:
Regenerative Agriculture: Bayer aims to increase crop production while restoring soil health and improving water usage, reducing the environmental impact of farming.

Smallholder Farmer Support: Committed $160 million to help end hunger, providing, among other efforts, access to improved seed varieties, and educational resources.

Innovation and Technology: Investing heavily in R&D to develop, for example, "short stature corn" to improve yields and reduce the risk of crop loss, and creating more resilient vegetable seeds.

Reducing Food Loss:
Developing crops with longer shelf lives, such as new tomato hybrids that last 12-14 days instead of 5-7 days.