Firenib News Desk |
May 2, 2026 | New Delhi: A major breakthrough by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics has shown that crops can maintain high productivity even with significantly reduced fertilizer use, offering a practical and scalable solution to one of agriculture’s biggest challenges—balancing yield with sustainability. The study, published in the Food and Energy Security Journal, highlights that improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops like sorghum can help farmers achieve similar yields with up to 50% less nitrogen fertilizer. This is particularly significant as nitrogen fertilizers remain one of the highest input costs in farming, while crops typically utilize only 30–40% of applied nitrogen, with the rest contributing to soil degradation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Read more about the research: https://www.icrisat.org
According to Himanshu Pathak, the future of agriculture lies in producing more with fewer resources, and this research reinforces the need to move towards smarter crop systems rather than input-heavy practices. In the study, scientists evaluated 186 diverse sorghum varieties under three nitrogen levels—0%, 50%, and 100% of the recommended dose—across two crop seasons. The results revealed that yields under 50% nitrogen application were nearly equivalent to those achieved with full fertilizer use, demonstrating the crop’s inherent ability to perform efficiently under reduced input conditions.
Journal reference: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20483692
To understand the genetic basis of this efficiency, researchers used advanced tools such as genome-wide association studies and RNA sequencing, identifying 1,369 genomic regions linked to nitrogen use efficiency and narrowing down 10 key genes responsible for nitrogen absorption, transport, and utilization. Stanford Blade noted that this integrated approach enables scientists to pinpoint exact genetic controls, accelerating the development of low-input, high-yield crop varieties. Supporting this, Raman Babu emphasized that these findings provide actionable pathways for modern breeding and gene-editing to develop nitrogen-efficient crops.
The implications of this research are particularly relevant for India, where rising fertilizer costs and heavy subsidy burdens continue to impact both farmers and government finances. By reducing nitrogen dependency, farmers can lower input costs, improve profitability, and contribute to environmental sustainability through reduced nitrogen runoff and emissions. Rakesh Srivastava highlighted that the identified genes act as master regulators of nitrogen metabolism, providing a strong scientific foundation for developing resilient crop varieties suitable for low-input farming systems. Importantly, the findings are not limited to sorghum and hold potential for application in major crops such as rice, wheat, and maize, making this research a significant step toward sustainable agriculture and climate-resilient farming.
Overall, the ICRISAT study marks a paradigm shift in modern agriculture—from fertilizer-intensive approaches to genetics-driven efficiency—indicating that the future of farming will depend more on intelligent crop design than on increased chemical inputs.
