Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculant to reduce nitrogen leaching in soybean cultivation

Overview

This solution leverages arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as a bio-inoculant to improve soybean plant performance while addressing a critical environmental challenge—nitrogen leaching into soil. By forming symbiotic relationships with soybean roots, AMF enhance nutrient bioavailability and uptake, reducing the amount of nitrogen lost from the root zone. The technology builds on prior greenhouse and field work demonstrating that AMF, especially when combined with compatible rhizobia strains, significantly improve both above-ground and below-ground plant parameters under drought stress. The offering is relevant for agricultural input companies, sustainable farming operations, and research partners seeking microbial solutions that improve crop productivity while reducing environmental nitrogen runoff.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Uses a mycorrhizal consortium (MY) applied to soybean plants to enhance root colonization and nutrient uptake
• Compatible with co-inoculation using Rhizobium sp. strain R1 and Rhizobium cellulosilyticum strain R3 for synergistic plant growth effects
• Validated under drought conditions across a gradient of soil water retention levels (100% down to 40% field capacity)
• Demonstrated significant improvements in above-ground and below-ground parameters including root length
• Future validation will quantify nitrogen leaching using mixed ion exchange resin (IER) discs placed beneath experimental containers, with trapped NH4+-N and NO3–-N extracted using 1.7 M NaCl and measured via distillation and titration
• Spore number and root colonization will be tracked to confirm fungal establishment and efficacy

Technology readiness level

The technology is at an early-to-mid stage of development. Prior greenhouse and field experiments have established proof-of-concept, showing that AMF inoculation—particularly in combination with specific rhizobia strains—improves soybean growth and yield parameters under drought stress. The next phase involves controlled field pot experiments using sterile soil to directly measure nitrogen leaching reduction, with quantitative analysis of mineral nitrogen captured by ion exchange resins. Further field-scale validation and formulation development would be needed before broad commercial deployment.