Understanding the foliar application of Amino Acids in Soybeans Bethany Henderson 1 Dr John Sanderson 1 , Dr Andy Fowles 2 1 Department of Chemistry, Durham University, UK, 2 Plant Impact Ltd, Rothamsted, Harpenden, UK Research to enhance crop yields in an environmentally sustainable fashion is of great interest to the agricultural sector as a response to the strains imposed by population growth, the damaging effects of climate change, and the pressure to reduce pesticide use. It is estimated that to bridge the deficit between the amount of food required by the population and the amount it is possible to produce, the amount of food produced globally needs to increase by 60% by 2050. 1 Amino acids are simple, cheap, and environmentally benignhas shown prevalence in increasing the overall yield of some plant species. 2-4 However, there is a lack in understanding as to the cellular metabolism of these amino acids and the mode of action by which they have an effect on crop yield and quality. This project looks to understand the movement of amino acids within soybeans through the synthesis and application of isotopically and fluorescently labelled amino acids. By tracing the movement of these labelled amino acids by mass spectrometry and spectroscopic methods, it is possible to gain clearer understanding of the timescale of uptake of the amino acids, as well as movement around the plant and their eventual break down and metabolism. Ultimately, the application of biostimulants such as amino acids offers a natural and environmentally stable means to enable improved plant yield, growth, and resistance to external environmental factors. 5 As the agricultural industry, both livestock and plant, is currently responsible for producing around 30% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the need for environmentally benign plant treatments has become increasingly important. 6 References 1. T. A. Wise, A scoping paper to assess the evidence. Global Development and Environment Institute Working Paper , 2013. 2. T. Garde-Cerdán, P. Santamaría, P. Rubio-Bretón, L. González-Arenzana, I. López-Alfaro and R. López, LWT-Food Science and Technology , 2015, 60 , 684-689. 3. D. Lv, C. Yu, L. Yang, S. Qin, H. Ma, G. Du, G. Liu and S. Khanizadeh, European Journal of Horticultural Science , 2009, 74 , 204. 4. M. F. Mondal, M. Asaduzzaman, H. Tanaka and T. Asao, Scientia Horticulturae , 2015, 192 , 453-459. 5. Y. Rouphael and G. Colla, Frontiers in Plant Science , 2018, 9 , 1655. 6. M. Crippa, E. Solazzo, D. Guizzardi, F. Monforti-Ferrario, F. N. Tubiello and A. Leip, Nature Food , 2021, 2 , 198-209.
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