F5
FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
DECEMBER 2021
Husker team developing nitrogen-efficient crops
build on the project’s early- stage research conducted in controlled environments such as the Greenhouse Innovation Center at Nebraska Innovation Campus. Recent increases in the price of nitrogen fertilizer, a critical input for farmers growing crops in Nebraska and around the world, un- derscore the need for new crop varieties that can pro- duce more grain from less fertilizer. Soaring ener- gy prices, elevated freight costs, increased tariffs and extreme weather events are driving the costs of nitro- gen fertilizer production and distribution to new heights. Simultaneously, concerns are growing about the effects of nitrogen fertilizer runoff on rural drinking water qual- ity and ecosystem services. The situation highlights the challenges faced by Nebraska
By TIFFANY LEE UNL Office of Research and Economic Development
LINCOLN—As nitrogen fertilizer prices rise across the country, a research team that includes University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists has gained new resources and partners as they work to de- crease the amount of nitrogen that crops such as sorghum and corn require to reach their maximum yield poten- tial. The National Science Foundation recently awarded supplemental funding to the project, which received $3.9 million in 2018 for a four-year collaborative project between Nebraska and the Alabama- based HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The two- year supplement will fund expansion of the partnership to include Alabama A&M University and support field trials and testing, which will
Photo courtesy of UNL Sorghum grows under two nitrogen conditions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Havelock Farm in summer 2021. The photo was taken using an unmanned aerial vehicle, which is employed for high-throughput phenotyping.
Please see CROPS, Page F7
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