Dr. Eduardo Blwald (kumanja) ndi Akhilesh Yadav, Ph.D., ndi mamembala ena a gulu lawo ku University of California, Davis, adasintha mpunga kuti alimbikitse mabakiteriya am'nthaka kupanga nayitrogeni wochuluka womwe zomera zingagwiritse ntchito. [Trina Kleist/UC Davis]
Ofufuza anagwiritsa ntchito CRISPR kupanga mpunga kuti alimbikitse mabakiteriya a m'nthaka kuti akonze nayitrogeni yomwe imafunika kuti ikule. Zomwe zapezekazi zitha kuchepetsa kuchuluka kwa feteleza wa nayitrogeni wofunikira kulima mbewu, kupulumutsa alimi aku America mabiliyoni ambiri a madola chaka chilichonse ndikupindulitsa chilengedwe pochepetsa kuipitsa kwa nayitrogeni.
“Zomera ndi mafakitale odabwitsa a mankhwala,” anatero Dr. Eduardo Blwald, pulofesa wodziwika bwino wa sayansi ya zomera ku University of California, Davis, yemwe anatsogolera kafukufukuyu. Gulu lake linagwiritsa ntchito CRISPR kuti liwonjezere kusweka kwa apigenin mu mpunga. Anapeza kuti apigenin ndi mankhwala ena amachititsa kuti nayitrogeni ikhazikike m'mabakiteriya.
Ntchito yawo inasindikizidwa mu magazini ya Plant Biotechnology ("Kusintha majini a mpunga flavonoid biosynthesis kumawonjezera kupangika kwa biofilm ndi kukhazikika kwa nayitrogeni m'nthaka ndi mabakiteriya okonza nayitrogeni").
Nayitrogeni ndi wofunikira pakukula kwa zomera, koma zomera sizingasinthe mwachindunji nayitrogeni kuchokera mumlengalenga kukhala mtundu womwe zingagwiritse ntchito. M'malo mwake, zomera zimadalira kuyamwa nayitrogeni yosapangidwa, monga ammonia, yopangidwa ndi mabakiteriya m'nthaka. Kupanga ulimi kumadalira kugwiritsa ntchito feteleza wokhala ndi nayitrogeni kuti zomera zibereke bwino.
“Ngati zomera zitha kupanga mankhwala omwe amalola mabakiteriya am'nthaka kukonza nayitrogeni wozungulira, tikhoza kupanga zomera kuti zipange mankhwala ambiri awa,” iye anatero. “Mankhwala amenewa amalimbikitsa mabakiteriya am'nthaka kukonza nayitrogeni ndipo zomera zimagwiritsa ntchito ammonium yomwe imachokera, motero zimachepetsa kufunika kwa feteleza wa mankhwala.”
Gulu la Broomwald linagwiritsa ntchito kusanthula kwa mankhwala ndi majini kuti lizindikire mankhwala omwe ali mu zomera za mpunga - apigenin ndi ma flavonoid ena - omwe amawonjezera mphamvu ya mabakiteriya yokonza nayitrogeni.
Kenako adapeza njira zopangira mankhwalawo ndipo adagwiritsa ntchito ukadaulo wosintha majini wa CRISPR kuti awonjezere kupanga mankhwala omwe amalimbikitsa kupanga biofilm. Biofilm izi zili ndi mabakiteriya omwe amathandizira kusintha kwa nayitrogeni. Zotsatira zake, ntchito yokonza nayitrogeni ya mabakiteriya imawonjezeka ndipo kuchuluka kwa ammonium komwe kumapezeka ku chomera kumawonjezeka.
“Minda ya mpunga yabwino inawonetsa kuti mbewu zake zakula bwino ikabzalidwa m'nthaka yomwe ili ndi nayitrogeni yochepa,” ofufuzawo adalemba m'nyuzipepalayo. “Zotsatira zathu zikuthandizira kusintha kwa njira ya flavonoid biosynthesis ngati njira yolimbikitsira nayitrogeni wachilengedwe m'mbewu ndikuchepetsa kuchuluka kwa nayitrogeni wosapangidwa. Kugwiritsa ntchito feteleza. Njira Zenizeni.”
Zomera zina zingagwiritsenso ntchito njira iyi. Yunivesite ya California yapempha chilolezo cha patent pa ukadaulowu ndipo pakadali pano ikudikira. Kafukufukuyu adathandizidwa ndi Will W. Lester Foundation. Kuphatikiza apo, Bayer CropScience imathandizira kafukufuku wowonjezera pankhaniyi.
“Feteleza wa nayitrogeni ndi wokwera mtengo kwambiri,” anatero Blowald. “Chilichonse chomwe chingathetse mavuto amenewo n’chofunika. Kumbali imodzi, ndi nkhani ya ndalama, koma nayitrogeni imawononganso chilengedwe.”
Manyowa ambiri omwe amagwiritsidwa ntchito amatayika, n’kulowa m’nthaka ndi pansi pa nthaka. Kupeza kwa Blowald kungathandize kuteteza chilengedwe mwa kuchepetsa kuipitsidwa kwa nayitrogeni. “Izi zingapereke njira ina yokhazikika yolima yomwe ingachepetse kugwiritsa ntchito feteleza wochuluka wa nayitrogeni,” iye anatero.