New project explores methane mitigation and nitrogen fixation abilities of methanotrophs in rice
Example of an EcoFAB
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NewLeaf Symbiotics, the global leader in Pink Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs (PPFMs), is set to quantify atmospheric gas mitigation properties of multiple rice plant growth promotion technologies via methanotrophs, a class of microbes closely related to PPFMs. This is due to a new partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the Lab’s Biosciences Area. The work, which will focus on methane mitigation as well as nitrogen fixation, will be a joint collaboration between Berkeley Lab’s Chiniquy (PI), Jardine and Northen labs, utilizing the industry-leading fabricated ecosystems (EcoFABs).
“This partnership is the next step in showcasing the potential of methanotrophs when it comes to methane mitigation and nitrogen fixation,” says Dr. Natalie Breakfield, VP of Research + Discovery for NewLeaf and the principal collaborator on the research. “We’ve specifically selected these strains for work in rice, and this partnership will provide the third-party verification to complement what our own greenhouse work demonstrates. We’re excited to have Berkeley Lab’s expertise at work on our technologies.”
Berkeley Lab will be examining methanotrophs’ impact on atmospheric gases in multiple ways through their latest EcoFABs and metabolomic analysis. The Lab will measure how plants treated with NewLeaf’s technology utilize nitrogen from the atmosphere, while also determining how rice plants inoculated with different methanotroph strains alter methane emissions.
“The combination of expertise in collecting and quantifying highly volatile compounds and the ability to study plant-microbe interactions in our EcoFABs builds understanding of the molecular basis of methane mitigation,” says Grace Sprehn, who leads JGI Policy & Agreements.
“This partnership will enable us to deliver quantifiable insights for these strains, which could make a major impact in rice production in the future,” adds Dawn Chiniquy, the project’s principal investigator and a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Biosciences Area.
In addition to quantifying the atmospheric gases, the Berkeley Lab team will explore additional attributes of the interactions between methanotrophs and rice. They will profile rice plants inoculated with methanotrophs to determine colonization of the plant, verifying how many microbes are present on the plant, and the preferred locations. They will also investigate the metabolomic exchanges between rice plants and methanotrophs to identify how or if methanotrophs impact plant exudates.
“NewLeaf is science-led and data-backed – it’s at our company’s core,” says Brent Smith, CEO and President at NewLeaf. “Our team has spent considerable time studying the potential of methanotrophs and rice. The next step is third party verification and we could not think of a better partner than Berkeley Lab. We look forward to the results.”
In addition to the methanotroph strains being used in rice, NewLeaf has a library of more than 12,000 PPFM strains with known attributes and benefits to a variety of crops.
About NewLeaf Symbiotics
NewLeaf Symbiotics is an agricultural biotech leader that is focused on the discovery, development, production and commercialization of products containing a genus of beneficial microbes that are ubiquitous and naturally symbiotic with plants. The pioneer and global leader of pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFMs) and methanotrophs, a closely related class of microbes, NewLeaf’s technology outcomes include increased yield potential and sustainability indicators. Headquartered in the Ag Innovation capital of St. Louis, NewLeaf has filed more than 200 patents and patent applications and introduced its first biostimulant products in the United States for corn and soy. For more information, visit www.newleafsym.com.
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