"Synthesis, function, and genetic variation of sorgoleone, the major biological nitrification inhibitor in sorghum" with Drs. Sakiko Okumoto, Bill Rooney, and Guntur Subbarao

When we fertilize our crops, some of the nitrogen from that fertilizer gets converted into different forms through processes called nitrification and denitrification. When non-plant available forms of nitrogen exit the soil through water or as gas, it's a serious environmental problem. Thankfully, plants have some pretty nifty ways to prevent nitrification, such as biological nitrification inhibition or BNI, a process that manages the bacteria that cause nitrification. In this episode, Sakiko, Bill, and Guntur join me to discuss sorgoleone, a product of sorghum roots that plays a key role in the BNI process.

Tune in to learn:

· What sorgoleone is

· How it helps

· What challenges breeders face in increasing it

· What challenges researchers face in moving this research out into farms

If you would like more information about this topic, this episode's paper is available here: https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70066

This paper is always freely available.

Contact us at podcast@sciencesocieties.org or on Twitter @FieldLabEarth if you have comments, questions, or suggestions for show topics, and if you want more content like this don't forget to subscribe. If you'd like to see old episodes or sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: https://fieldlabearth.libsyn.com/.

If you would like to reach out to Sakiko, you can find her here:
sakiko.okumoto@agnet.tamu.edu

If you would like to reach out to Bill, you can find him here:
william.rooney@ag.tamu.edu

If you would like to reach out to Guntur, you can find him here:
gunturs0148@jircas.go.jp

If you would like to reach out to Megan Baker from our Student Spotlight, you can find her here:
megbaker1100@gmail.com

Resources

CEU Quiz: Coming soon

Transcripts: https://www.rev.com/app/transcript/Njk5NDlkNTQ3MGMxYTkxMWE5MmU5ODhhc2RIRkw0Vm9MSkJ5/o/VEMwMjQ2NTEyODQ4

AgriLife Today Article: https://agrilifetoday.tamu.edu/2024/09/12/texas-am-agrilife-researchers-identify-novel-approach-to-minimize-nitrogen-loss-in-crops/

BNI consortium conference: JIRCAS organizes International BNI-consortium meetings in Tsukuba, Japan, every two years. The next BNI-consortium meeting will be in the first week of December 2026. Most BNI-researchers working with JIRCAS BNI-team are invited for this meeting along with researchers who wish to enter into this research and establish collaborative linkages with other members of this group.

Field, Lab, Earth is Copyrighted by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America.