TY - JA AU - Guntur Venkata Subbarao AU - Kishii,M. AU - Bozal-Leorri,A. AU - Ortiz-Monasterio,I. AU - Xiang Gao AU - Ibba,M.I. AU - Karwat,H. AU - Gonzalez-Moro,M.B. AU - Gonzalez-Murua,C. AU - Tadashi Yoshihashi AU - Tobita,S. AU - Kommerell,V. AU - Braun,H.J. AU - Iwanaga,M. TI - Enlisting wild grass genes to combat nitrification in wheat farming : : a nature-based solution SN - 0027-8424 PY - 2021/// CY - Washington, DC (USA) PB - National Academy of Sciences, KW - Nitrogen KW - AGROVOC KW - Pollution KW - Nitrification inhibitors KW - Genetic improvement KW - Wheat N1 - Peer review; Open Access N2 - Active nitrifiers and rapid nitrification are major contributing factors to nitrogen losses in global wheat production. Suppressing nitrifier activity is an effective strategy to limit N losses from agriculture. Production and release of nitrification inhibitors from plant roots is termed “biological nitrification inhibition” (BNI). Here, we report the discovery of a chromosome region that controls BNI production in “wheat grass” Leymus racemosus (Lam.) Tzvelev, located on the short arm of the “Lr#3Nsb” (Lr#n), which can be transferred to wheat as T3BL.3NsbS (denoted Lr#n-SA), where 3BS arm of chromosome 3B of wheat was replaced by 3NsbS of L. racemosus. We successfully introduced T3BL.3NsbS into the wheat cultivar “Chinese Spring” (CS-Lr#n-SA, referred to as “BNI-CS”), which resulted in the doubling of its BNI capacity. T3BL.3NsbS from BNI-CS was then transferred to several elite high-yielding hexaploid wheat cultivars, leading to near doubling of BNI production in “BNI-MUNAL” and “BNI-ROELFS.” Laboratory incubation studies with root-zone soil from field-grown BNI-MUNAL confirmed BNI trait expression, evident from suppression of soil nitrifier activity, reduced nitrification potential, and N2O emissions. Changes in N metabolism included reductions in both leaf nitrate, nitrate reductase activity, and enhanced glutamine synthetase activity, indicating a shift toward ammonium nutrition. Nitrogen uptake from soil organic matter mineralization improved under low N conditions. Biomass production, grain yields, and N uptake were significantly higher in BNI-MUNAL across N treatments. Grain protein levels and breadmaking attributes were not negatively impacted. Wide use of BNI functions in wheat breeding may combat nitrification in high N input-intensive farming but also can improve adaptation to low N input marginal areas UR - https://hdl.handle.net/10883/21645 DO - https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2106595118 T2 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America ER -