VFRC Blueprint Chapter 3

3. Next Generation Fertilizer Technology Priorities Priority Outcomes Reflecting (1) the magnitude of the future food supply challenge in the face of increasing land and water scarcity and uncertain climatic conditions, (2) the continued role that smallholder farmers will have to play in future food supply chains and (3) the inherent flaws in current fertilizers, advanced technologies must be applied to introduce new fertilizers and improved production and sourcing methods that deliver the following priority outcomes: New Fertilizers Introduce a new generation of intelligent N and P fertilizers in developing regions which will be more failsafe, adaptive, eco-sensitive and economical, with the following goals for improved performance: •

Reduced environmental impact of fertilizer application.

•

Improved yield and yield efficiency (improved yield/ monetary cost of applied fertilizer).

•

Reduced risk of crop failure in adverse climatic conditions (critical for smallholder farmers).

•

Increased ease and assurance of proper nutrient application (including improved micronutrient delivery, convenient and simple applicators and lowcost fertilizer quality [nutrient content] detection kits).

self-sufficiency, costs and environmental impact of fertilizer sourcing for developing regions: •

Maximize use of untapped locally available nutrient sources (e.g. lower grade or smaller phosphate rock deposits, waste streams containing nutrients).

•

Reduce dependency on imported feedstock sources (particularly natural gas for ammonia synthesis).

•

Significantly lower the capital intensity of production, particularly for nitrogen fertilizers (e.g. Haber-Bosch at lower temperatures and pressures, novel approaches to ammonia synthesis or urea sourcing).

Technology Strategy The following guidelines will be used to harness technology to deliver the priority outcomes: •

Focus on N and P fertilizers: These fertilizers have the most significant shortcomings and represent the greatest source of future benefit – economic, environmental and food security – for developing regions.

•

Drive for improved NUE as the primary mechanism to achieve performance improvements. NUE improvement simultaneously addresses the economic waste and environmental impact of current fertilizers.

Importantly, NUE improvement will be targeted to the needs of smallholder farmers who require an acceptable cost and have specific needs; accordingly, new fertilizers should deliver:

o

25-50 percent increase in NUE.

Production Processes

o

25 percent improvement in fertilizer yield-efficiency.

Introduce improvements or alternatives to current production methods in three areas that will enhance the

o

Two to three 'variants' to specifically address the needs of smallholder farmers – lower risk of crop

Renewing the Green Revolution.

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failure, suitability to most difficult but common growing environments, ease and accuracy of proper micronutrient delivery.

•

o

Use multi-disciplinary sciences to achieve improvements: The three foundational sciences for crop production (plant, soil, nutrient) will be combined with other advanced technologies (e.g. molecular biology, nanotechnology, coatings sciences, genetic modification) to deliver the targeted outcomes. An initial view of the areas likely to benefit most from the application of multi-disciplinary know-how include the following: o

Developing improved approaches that more conveniently, accurately and/or economically deliver micronutrients and allow field-level nutrient quality detection to provide greater nutrient assurance to smallholder farmers.

During its proof of concept work, IFDC identified some innovative approaches to deliver this assurance: core seed technology that incorporates micronutrients more accurately and conveniently with major fertilizers than currently used production methods (Figure 26); and 'solid state' electronic detection of the composition of fertilizers to ascertain the level of desired nutrients and unwanted substances (Figure 27).

Manipulating the fundamental mechanisms that govern N and P NUE behavior and reducing the cost of controllers and inhibitors to improve yield and economics and environmental impact (Figure 24): Initial developments for N fertilizers might focus on off-patent coatings and proprietary versions might be considered for later developments for higher NUE performance or to widen the performance spectrum versus earlier coatings. Longer-term developments for both N and P fertilizers might benefit from the application of plant sciences to influence nutrient release and availability by plant-generated signals (Figure 25).

o

Tapping unconventional locally available nutrient sources to enhance nutrient self-reliance, economics and provide easier access for smallholder farmers.

Two specific opportunities include nutrient recovery from waste streams and the utilization of locally available phosphate rock (present in several developing regions but often too low-grade [e.g. deposit size, reactivity of the phosphate rock] and/ or too remote for use in prevalent production processes).

Figure 24 FUNDAMENTAL NUE MECHANISMS

N – Control release

RELEASE CONTROLLERS

Facilitate timely release

Timed

Triggered

P – Increase availability

INHIBITORS

BRIQUETTES

BINDERS

MODIFIERS

SIGNAL AGENTS

Prevent early release During crop Post-crop

Facilitate more uptake

Prevent fixing

Improve solubility

Increase proximity

Chemical

Biological

Placed

Soil-related

Plant-related

Figure 25 Plant exudates triggered coatings

3. Plant Modifications

N biofixation in nonlegumes

Offpatent coatings

N NUE NUE genes in crops

Supergranules

Cheaper polymer/ material coatings

Offpatent inhibitors

New cheaper inhibitors

2. Controlled Release Fertilizers

P NUE SOIL MODIFICATION Organic Matter P Solubilization, Mycorrhiza Balanced Fertigation Anionic Polymer Binders PLANT GENOME MODIFICATION Root Distribution/Uptake Root Acidulation/Solubilization

1. Right Placement

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Figure 26

Figure 27

Micronutrient Delivery Current approach Spray or Mix

Future approach 'Core Seed'

Post-production addition of micronutrients

In-production addition of micronutrients

Difficult accuracy control Inconsistency

Accuracy Consistency Convenience Versatility

Seeking fundamental breakthroughs to address the inefficiencies and unfavorable economic factors in the Haber-Bosch process for N fertilizer manufacture; priorities for these breakthroughs include alternative hydrogen sources to replace natural gas as the primary feedstock, reduced temperatures and pressures during conversion and synthesis and alternative methods (e.g. electro-chemical) of ammonia synthesis.

Implementation Considerations Development and commercialization of a new generation of intelligent fertilizers with improved sourcing are expected to span a 10- to 15-year period reflecting the following: •

Improvements and innovations will be pursued across several facets of fertilizer performance and

Primary nutrient

Electronic device Checks fertilizer in solid form

Micronutrient core seed

The application of bio-sciences and nanotechnology could be potentially fruitful. o

Low-Cost Field-Level Detection Kit

sourcing approaches, which collectively will represent a coordinated 'technology agenda' needed to deliver sustainable food security to developing regions.

•

The development and commercialization of individual improvements will occur over varying timeframes influenced by the existence and/or commercial applicability of potential technology solutions; these timeframes will range from within five years to over 10 years.

•

Implementation of the technology agenda will be guided by a philosophy of delivering the earliest possible commercialization of first-generation improvements followed by progressive improvements that build on earlier advancements in technology.

These implementation considerations are reflected below in a preliminary phasing of the commercial delivery of the technology agenda (Figure 28):

Figure 28 New intelligent fertilizers - three-phased development agenda

Phase 1 3-5 years Higher N NUE fertilizers with known technologies 1-2 variations for SHF crop failure mitigation Alternative delivery of micronutrients Nutrient detection kit Nutrients sourced from waste recovery

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Phase 2 6-10 years Further improved N fertilizer with wider performance spectrum and lower costs 2-3 variations for SHFs’ varied conditions Nutrients sourced from waste recovery Direct application of local phosphate rock Alternative hydrogen feedstock source for Haber-Bosch process

Phase 3 10+ years Intelligent N fertilizers incorporating plant modifications (NUE genes, N bio-fixation in non-legumes) Lower cost Haber-Bosch process with lower operating temperatures and pressures Alternative processes for ammonia synthesis

Fertilizers are key to improving the world’s food security; however, current technologies are deficient in many ways.

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