By Blake Jackson
Researchers at New York University (NYU) have developed a new method using artificial intelligence (AI) to help farmers grow corn with less fertilizer.
The study, published in The Plant Cell, reveals how AI can identify gene groups that control nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in plants like corn.
Corn is the top crop in the U.S., requiring large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer. But nearly 45% of nitrogen remains unused by the plant, causing groundwater pollution and emitting nitrous oxide, a harmful greenhouse gas. This presents a costly and environmental challenge for farmers.
To solve this, NYU researchers combined plant genetics with machine learning. They studied gene activity in both corn and Arabidopsis, a model plant species, to find conserved patterns.
The researchers identified sets of genes, or “NUE Regulons,” controlled by transcription factors that impact how well corn uses nitrogen.
“Traits like nitrogen use efficiency or photosynthesis are never controlled by one single gene. The beauty of the machine learning process is it learns sets of genes that are collectively responsible for a trait, and can also identify the transcription factor or factors that control these sets of genes,” said Gloria Coruzzi, senior study author and professor at NYU.
By measuring gene responses to nitrogen and running machine learning models, scientists identified top-performing gene sets in corn. They validated their findings through lab studies, confirming that two corn transcription factors control 24 NUE genes. A similar match was found in Arabidopsis.
The research allows farmers to identify efficient hybrids at the seedling stage using molecular markers instead of waiting for field results. This will cut fertilizer use, save money, and reduce nitrogen pollution.
NYU has filed a patent for the technology. The project was supported by the National Science Foundation and NIH, with partners from USDA, Purdue University, and National Taiwan University.
This breakthrough paves the way for more sustainable corn farming, combining technology and biology to benefit both agriculture and the environment.
Photo Credit: state-university-of-new-york
Categories: New York, Business, Crops, Corn