NC State plays critical role in stewardship of global agriculture industry

RALEIGH – Phosphorus is essential to all living things, one of the building blocks of DNA and cells’ energy currency.

Food supplies rely on phosphorus fertilizers, but their use is inefficient and unsustainable: Non-renewable phosphate deposits are mined, and only 20% of the phosphorus used in the food system makes it to the human diet.

A significant portion of the phosphorus seeps into soils and fresh water, becoming a contaminant that kills animals, grows algal blooms and expands coastal dead zones. Out of balance, this vital element can end life.

The Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center is working to discover and develop ways to recycle phosphorus, make our food system more efficient, and protect the environment from waste. Headquartered at NC State and awarded by the National Science Foundation, the STEPS Center was launched in October 2021 after four years of preparation. It’s already adding to global understanding about phosphorus sustainability.

“It’s been very engaging and fulfilling because we had this vision for STEPS, and now we are going through the implementation,” said Ross Sozzani, the center’s co-deputy director and an NC State University Faculty Scholar and professor of plant and microbial biology. “It’s exciting to see things falling into place.”

EXPLORE THE STEPS CENTER
Headquartered at NC State, the STEPS Center is made up of several institutions to study sustainable solutions to phosphorus use.

Led by NC State and based on Centennial Campus, STEPS includes eight additional institutions across the country: Appalachian State University, Arizona State University, Marquette University, North Carolina A&T State University, RTI International, the University of Florida, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The center was awarded during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the middle of the fall semester and before construction of its home base, the Plant Sciences Building, was completed.

“We landed one of the most prestigious centers that the National Science Foundation awards under really difficult conditions,” said Jacob Jones, the STEPS Center’s director and a Kobe Steel Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at NC State. “But the engagement and collaboration of the team at launching the center has exceeded my expectations. We have folks interacting with the center physically and virtually. After working on this for four years, it’s been pretty exciting.”

Because phosphorus sustainability is a complex issue, STEPS relies on diversity in skills and subjects alike. The center’s research focuses on exploratory, use-inspired basic research that ranges from the molecular and materials scale to how humans interact with technology to the global economic and social impacts of phosphorus sustainability.

One of the center’s focus areas is convergence informatics, which involves taking a significant amount of information, fusing together diverse data sets and using machine-learning algorithms to inform the next steps in research. Convergence informatics uses data science to assess and predict new materials, technologies and strategies. At STEPS, researchers use these strategies to study phosphorus capture as well as phosphorus compound decomposition and modification. The center will create and disseminate new knowledge about phosphorus sustainability.

“The goal is not to create and deploy singular technology solutions,” Jones said. “We want to create a number of fundamental discoveries and developments that help the entire phosphorus scientific community move forward.”

The center has a five-year run time, with the opportunity to renew it for another five years. External partnerships are particularly important so that the center can continue making discoveries even after the award ends.

“We are discovering new phosphorus-sustainability knowledge now, and we will be doing that in year 10,” Jones said.

RESEARCH SPANNING SUBJECTS AND SCALES

Within 25 years, STEPS hopes to help reduce human dependence on mined phosphates by 25% and reduce the losses of point and non-point sources of phosphorus to soils and water resources by 25%.

Three themes ground STEPS: materials scale, human-technology scale, and regional and global scale. Specific fields include, but by no means are limited to, chemistry, physics, animal sciences, bioengineering, ecology, sociology and public policy.

“Our researchers are undertaking diverse work — they are sitting at microscopes looking at particles, going to wastewater treatment facilities to collect samples, using wet chemical labs to synthesize new materials, simulating biological molecules using computational techniques, and examining spatial maps of how phosphorus is distributed throughout the United States — just as a few examples,” Sozzani said.

We want to create a number of fundamental discoveries and developments that help the entire phosphorus scientific community move forward.

The center’s first research theme, on the materials scale, is to discover and develop new inorganic, organic and bio-inspired materials to free, capture and recover phosphorus and phosphorus-containing species from both liquids and solids. Examples of current research projects include the chemical and biological transformations of non-reactive phosphorus, the recovery of phosphorus using positively charged ions, and the advancement of phosphorus analytics.

The second research theme, on the human-technology scale, evaluates the viability of technologies for recovering phosphorus from complex waste streams, optimizes soil properties and improves bioaccessibility of recovered phosphates. Current research projects include developing new phosphorus compounds into a sustainable fertilizer, examining genetic mechanisms in plant phosphorus and controlling legacy phosphorus in soils.

The third research theme, on the regional and global scale, is to use a systems-level approach to evaluate how human intervention, policy intervention and technology adoption could affect phosphorus sustainability at different scales under various alternative socioeconomic, policy and environmental change scenarios. Some current research projects involve creating a national phosphorus budget and map, establishing baseline data and tools in order to simulate phosphorus flows, and evaluating stakeholder perceptions and needs in phosphorus sustainability research.

DIVERSITY IN THOUGHT AND ACTION

Discovering solutions to such a complex problem requires collaboration among researchers in different fields and of different backgrounds. Convergence informatics and the three research themes highlight the center’s commitment to interdisciplinary research. Even its home base, the Plant Sciences Building, fosters a culture of interdisciplinarity.

“The Plant Sciences Building allows us to bring together, in a central location, a lot of faculty, students and post-docs, and provides intersectional space for a very large and complex project,” Jones said. And it’s beneficial to be in a home with other interdisciplinary projects. “Anyone in the building can learn from our experiences. Likewise, we can learn from the other projects in the building.”

“Connecting several disciplines is a vital part of NC State’s research enterprise,” said Genevieve Garland, the associate vice chancellor of research operations and communications and the Office of Research and Innovation’s chief of staff. Garland leads the office’s Interdisciplinary Research Unit. “Our researchers bring together different skills and expertise to solve problems in a truly dynamic way. By fostering interdisciplinary initiatives, NC State creates holistic, comprehensive solutions to intricate global issues.”

Beyond research projects and subject matter, STEPS has an ambitious objective in diversity: Its broadening participation goal is to have more than 50% of involved individuals be from underrepresented groups. Diversity of culture, perspective and experience leads to original, innovative research. This goal requires leveraging all that NC State has to offer in terms of graduate recruitment, outreach to underserved communities and the alignment of the STEPS Center’s and NC State’s visions of diversity.

“The university really believes in diversity and interdisciplinarity wholeheartedly, and this is a great partnership between STEPS and NC State,” Jones said. “We have this broadening participation goal because we know bringing diverse experiences and perspectives fosters innovation.”

For at least four more years, STEPS will continue furthering diversity, applying convergence research and advancing phosphorus sustainability. In doing so, the center will prepare students to work on complex, interdisciplinary problems and discover fundamental knowledge to create a safer, healthier environment for all.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – In the spirit of “waste not, want not,” two food-focused companies are working together to find sustainable solutions that keep foods fresher, longer, after harvest and reduce product loss.

Novozymes – the world’s largest industrial biotechnology company – and agricultural technology innovator AgroFresh are forming a strategic research and commercialization partnership to use biologics to fight fungal diseases. The goal is to develop environmentally friendly after-harvest applications that increase food quality, while decreasing waste.

Food loss is a serious problem. The companies report that about one-third of all the food produced is lost or wasted before it ever gets to consumers.

And fruits and vegetables account for more than half the total, they say.

These and other fresh crops – including flowers – are particularly vulnerable to microbial attack during the post-harvest stage of production, which includes cooling, cleaning, sorting, and packing.

“This is a very exciting venture into a groundbreaking area for Novozymes – with the intention to satisfy an increasing consumer demand for fruits and vegetables with less food waste and less impact on the environment,” said Thomas Stenfeldt Batchelor, Novozymes vice president for agriculture marketing & strategy.

STRONG TIES TO THE TRIANGLE

Novozymes, headquartered in Denmark, has a significant presence in North Carolina. It maintains its North American headquarters in Franklinton and an R&D facility in the Research Triangle, employing around 900 people in the state.

It is the world’s largest provider of enzyme and microbial technologies targeted at agriculture and a variety of other industries including homecare, industrial cleaning, and beverage ingredients.

Philadelphia-based AgroFresh supports growers, packers, and retailers with plant-based coatings, equipment and other solutions that improve the quality and extend the shelf life of fresh produce.

The innovation that led to the formation of AgroFresh was first discovered and patented at North Carolina State University in 1994.

SPEED UP DEVELOPMENT

Novozymes and AgroFresh said their partnership should speed up the development of new, sustainable bioproducts. They highlight the combination of Novozymes’ advanced biotechnologies and AgroFresh’s post-harvest experience, its global footprint, and portfolio of integrated solutions to help maintain the freshness and quality of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

AgroFresh will lead the commercialization of any new products the two companies develop.

“This is an exciting partnership between two industry leaders that both have a strong history in North Carolina and with the potential to accomplish two increasingly important goals,” said Paul Ulanch, Ph.D., executive director of the crop commercialization program at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. “First, improving food quality and reducing waste are so important to continue feeding a growing global population. And second, these companies are introducing environmentally friendly ways of doing so.”

Duncan Aust, AgoFresh’s chief technology officer, pointed out that “AgroFresh and Novozymes share very similar missions around sustainability and the introduction of differentiated technologies to address unmet needs across the food chain.”

“We are excited to partner with Novozymes,” he said, “to pioneer the use of biological solutions in the post-harvest sector to reduce food loss and waste and help improve the quality of our food system overall.”

The NC State Data Science Academy was launched in March 2021 to build community, communication, and collaboration around the data sciences across the university’s 10 colleges- and across the globe through external partnerships.

Rachel Levy, executive director of the Data Science Academy works with CALS students, faculty, and Extension agents to expand their capacity for next-generation agricultural research while also helping to support external partnerships with the states growing agriculture industry.

“Data science is for everyone at NC. State,” Levy said. “It’s our vision to operationalize that belief and to build, enhance and support data science in all aspects of the university’s mission.”

Levy collaborates with CALS Raceuch Assistant Professor Daniela Jones. who established NC State’s Ag Data Science Certificate program, an Innovative 12-credit course for industry professionals and graduate students. The program fils a vital need for data management, analysis, computer science and statistical training in the agriculture, food and life science he las. Levy selves as a putter and a resource for Jones on data science teaching, learning and course development.

Goodnight Distinguished Professor Cranos Williams, the N.C. Plant Sciences
Initiatives platform for data-driven plant sciences consults with Levy on research infrastructure and support as he and his interdisciplinary team of researchers develop ways to collect, store and manage massive amounts of data from field sensors and other sources for use across multiple research projects.

Levy is also working with state Extension specialists and Assistant professors Jason Ward and Stephanie Ward to make data science more accessible for growers and their consultants. As part of her efforts to connect with industry, Levy recently discussed data science alongside ward at a presentation for the NC Soybean Growers Association.

“It was clear that farmers are interested in learning from their data, and they View NC State as a partner in building their capacity.” Levy said, “we want to have even richer conversations with farmers about their data as everyone builds new skills and explores the ever-changing array of tools.”

Levy says these efforts are just the beginning.

“CALS has been a welcoming and enthusiastic partner,” Levy said. “we have been fortunate to be supported and encouraged by Dean Linton and Associate Dean Bonanno, and we are excited to continue working with CALS as John Dole moves into his role as interim dean and Adrian Percy continues to build the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative.”

Original Article Source: CALS Magazine [NCSU]