The article discusses the potential of engineered microbes to reduce the reliance on synthetic fertilizers, which account for approximately 2% of global greenhouse-gas emissions and have seen price increases due to geopolitical factors. Startups like Switch Bioworks are developing microbial fertilizers that can fix nitrogen for plants, aiming to mitigate these issues. Switch Bioworks employs a genetic switch mechanism that enables microbes to establish themselves in the soil before activating nitrogen production, addressing the challenge of energetically expensive nitrogen fixation that can hinder microbial growth.
Another company, Pivot Bio, has also been working on microbial fertilizers since 2011, with products used on millions of acres of crops. Pivot Bio is focusing on enhancing the robustness of microbial colonies across various environments. While both companies report promising lab results, field trials are essential to validate the efficacy of these products. Experts suggest that microbial fertilizers could replace up to 50% of synthetic fertilizers, with initial products likely achieving around 25% replacement. However, the consensus is that synthetic fertilizers will remain necessary in the foreseeable future, and additional strategies to reduce emissions and nitrogen pollution from agriculture are still required. Source