Fertilizer Solutions –

for global food security and the environment

Virtual Fertilizer Research Center presented by

Dr. Prem S. Bindraban December 4, 2013

pbindraban@vfrc.org

Virtual Fertilizer Research Center

• The VFRC is

– A research initiative to foster the creation of the next generation of fertilizers and production technologies

– to help feed the world’s growing population and provide sustainable food security

The pharmaceutical and seed industries spend billions on R&D.

Pfizer, Glaxo, Merck ~ 16% of revenues is

invested in R&D spending

Syngenta, Monsanto ~ 9% of revenues is

invested in R&D spending

~ 0.01% of revenues in R&D for new products and

new technologies

Industry Research and Development Spending

The Essence of Fertilizers

• Necessary to enhance plant growth over ecological/natural rate of growth

• Undersupply causes soil nutrient mining and degradation of ecosystem functions

• Overuse causes GHG emissions and eutrophication

• Essential for production of sufficient food

Source: Nature, 2013

China oversupply 11.8 Mt

68 kg/ha 174 Mha SSAfrica Production 2X

Immediate impact

7

Prilled Urea Urea Briquettes

Urea Super Granules

8

Applicator in Field Operation

9

Denitrification

Urea–N

NO3-–N

Leaching Loss

Re

du

ce

d S

oil

Laye

r

Oxidized Soil Zone Flo

od

wat

er

N2

N2O

NH3–N

Urea–N NH4+–N NO3

-–N

Run-Off Loss

Ammonia Volatilization

Gaseous Loss

N loss pathways Broadcast Urea

10

Ammonium N in Water in Rice Field after Application of Urea

First Application

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

0 2 4 6 8 10

Am

on

ium

-N (

pp

m)

Days after Fertilizer Application

Control ( ppm N)

Urea (ppm N)

USG (ppm N)

Top Dress

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

0 2 4 6 8 10

Am

on

ium

-N (

pp

m)

Days after Fertilizer Application

Control ( ppm N)

Urea (ppm N)

UDP (ppm N)

11

Denitrification

Urea–N

Leaching Loss

Re

du

ce

d S

oil

Laye

r Fl

oo

dw

ate

r

Urea–N NH4+–N NO3

-–N

Negligible Run-Off

Loss

Less

Gaseous Loss

USG

Oxidized Soil Zone

NH3–N

N2

N2O

Negligible Ammonia

Volatilization

N loss pathways Urea Deep Placement

12

Avg. +15%

Avg. -35%

Urea Deep Placement : 15% yield increase with 35% less nutrient applied

Fertilizer solutions

• Immediate – Inappropriate application

• Time, place, amount, distance to roots

• Unbalanced composition

– Socio-economic, institutional arrangements • (Market) infrastructure (price, bag size, etc.)

• Incomplete agronomic “package”

• Risk to investment

• Opportunity costs

• Leap frog development – Change fertilizers themselves

– Novel “packaging” of nutrients

– Fertilizer industry to innovate

Natural ecosystems

Ammonium nitrate in rain (NH4NO3)

Eventual denitrification

of Nr to N2

High temperature

combustion

& industry

Further Nr emission as NOx & N2O

carrying on the cascade

N & P in streams, lakes & coastal seas

Unintended

N & P flows

Terrestrial Eutrophication

Freshwater Eutrophication

Greenhouse

gas balance

Particulate

Matter

Tropospheric

ozone formation

Stratospheric

ozone loss

Soil acidification

Urban air

quality

Marine Eutrophication Environmental

concern

Intended

N & P flows

Key

Nitrogen oxides (NOx)

Nitrous Oxide (N2O)

Ammonia (NH3)

Nitrate leaching (NO3-),

Phosphorus run-off (PO43-)

plus Sewage N & P

Unreactive di-nitrogen in air (N2)

Mineral phosphate

(PO4)

Fertilizer

manufacture

Crop biological

nitrogen fixation

Fertilizer

manufacture

Manufactured

detergents &

other products

Livestock farming

Manure

Crops for animal feed,

human food & energy

Consumption

by humans

Food &

materials

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Flows

Source: Sutton et al., 2013

Slide courtesy of Prof. Oene Oenema

!

Planetary Boundaries

From Holocene to

Anthropocene

Source: Rockstrom et al., 2009

16

Leapfrog development

Biology driven fertilizers • Current

– Chemists and industrial processing engineers develop fertilizers

• Paradigm shift

– Understand plant nutrition metabolism and nutrient transport mechanisms

– Novel “packaging” of nutrients

– Biologists to guide chemists

Pandey, R., V. Krishnapriya, and P. S. Bindraban, 2013. Biochemical nutrient pathways in plants applied as foliar spray: Phosphorus and iron. VFRC Report 2013/1. Virtual Fertilizer Research Center, Washington, D.C. 23 pp.; 6 figs.; 63 ref.

Pesticide development

Repackaging nutrients • E.g. Foliar fertilizers – high tech for low income farming

– Reduce risk • poor availability soil nutrients; correct deficiencies; rainfall variability

– Reduce nutrient losses – Simultaneous application multiple (balanced) nutrients

• Much trial-and-error research – “soil” fertilizers used for foliar – Application doses random – Efficiency very low to high

– Crops response highly variable • Yield, Quality, Metabolic efficiency

Voogt, W., C. Blok, B. Eveleens, L. Marcelis and P. S. Bindraban. 2013. Foliar fertilizer application. VFRC Report 2013/2. Virtual Fertilizer Research Center, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.; 9 tables; 2 figs.; 98 ref.

Cockpit

Foliar sprays • Nano-carriers • Biological carriers

Biological activity • Micorrhizae • Endophytes

Species • Rooting • Exudates • Symbiosis

Mining/Industrial processes • Efficiency • By-products • Labeling

Physiological traits • Stomata • Components • Storage

Quantify Prioritize

Breeding • Novel traits

Soil application methods

Purification • N, P, Fe, S, Zn, Cu...

Recycled product • Fermentation • Rendering • Other...

GHG (NO2, N2O, NH3) • Capture at source • In-house filtration • Tractor fertilizer

Assessments • Geo-spatial priority • Agro-ecosystem-specific

Soil diagnostics

Aerial diagnostics Infusion (in stem) • (Fruit) Trees

Changing the fertilizer game

• Technological Innovations – From bulk fertilizers to specific packaging of nutrients – Less volume more added value – Carrot and stick

• Stakeholders – Direct (Fertilizer industry, Traders, Farmers)

– Indirect (Food Industry, Health/medical sector)

– Global change (Climate change, World Water Council)

• Mainstream Nutrients – In Policy – In Research – In Sustainability debates

Thank You for your attention.