Higher agricultural production with lower nitrous oxide emission
Executive Summary
Agriculture produces 60% of the emission of nitrous oxide (N2O), one of the three main greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. Paradoxically, agriculture is extremely sensitive to climate change, a fact that generates the need to promote climate-smart technological innovation policies. In the present multilateral technical cooperation project (Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Spain and Uruguay), the traditional benefits provided by inoculants, which include nitrogen fixation, phosphorus solubilization and antifungal production, will be extended. In addition, new ones, including benefits of recognized environmental value such as reduction of N2O emission, and of high economic impact, such as the development of tolerance to herbicides and abiotic stress, will be incorporated through mutagenesis (non-GMO technologies). These technological innovations will increase agricultural production by >3% and reduce N2O emissions by 35% in Latin America and the Caribbean, contributing to the agronomic sustainability and the consolidation of the region as a leader in the world market for inoculants.
The technological solution
The project involves the production of new inoculants as a technological package that combines three benefits simultaneously: (i) it is applicable to a wide variety of relevant regional crops, (ii) it increases the production and quality of these crops, and (iii) drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, especially nitrous oxide
Results
It is expected to obtain environmental diagnosis and genetically improved strains with lower N20 emission, which are projected to reduce N2O emissions in 20 different crops by using genetically improved strains with higher PGPR activity
An integration of the participating groups and a harmonious growth of the platform is expected; as well as the publication of technological developments and agro-industrial perspectives of our team, the dissemination of developments in the private sphere and the massive dissemination of the project results.
Beneficiaries
More than 30.000 producers, technicians, researchers and students from de Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Spain and Uruguay will be direct beneficiaries of this proyect. Main regional agricultural microbiology companies and consumers from the countries involved will be indirect beneficiaries.
Sustainable Development Goals




Participating Organizations
Executor
- Fundación ArgenINTA (ARGENINTA) - Argentina
Co-executor
- Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) - Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) - Colombia
- Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO) - Chile
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE) - Uruguay
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) - España
Associated
- Empresa Brasileña de Investigación Agropecuaria (EMBRAPA) - Brasil
- Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA) - Uruguay
- UdelaR - Uruguay
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de San Martín (UNSAM) - Argentina
- Instituto Anadaluz de Investigación y Formación Agraría, Pesquera, Alimentaria y de la Producción (IFAPA) - España