Arcadia Biosciences of Davis, California announced today that it has agreed with the government of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (Ningxia) of China to measure the greenhouse gas emission reduction effects of the company's new nitrogen efficent rice.
Arcadia has started conducting field experiments in Ningxia to quantify baseline greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice cultivation, as well as reductions in GHG emissions resulting from reduced application of nitrogen fertilizer.
The impact of agriculture on climate change through GHG emissions has not been widely addressed. According to data from the World Resource Institute Climate Analysis Indicators Tool (CAIT), agriculture is the second-largest industrial source of global GHG emissions. Agricultural GHG emissions are less than energy/heat production, but greater than the entire transportation sector.
Agricultural GHG emissions are predominantly in the form of nitrous oxide, which has a global warming potential nearly 300 times greater than carbon dioxide. Agriculture is responsible for 84 percent of global nitrous oxide emissions.
The widespread use of nitrogen fertilizer, less than one-half of which is typically absorbed by crops, is estimated to directly account for approximately one-third of agricultural GHG emissions. This is before any consideration of emissions associated with the production and transportation of nitrogen fertilizer, which uses natural gas as a primary input.
Arcadia has developed and demonstrated Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) technology that enables plants to maintain high yields while requiring 50 percent to 60 percent less nitrogen fertilizer.
Rice accounts for approximately 20 percent of global nitrogen fertilizer use, and it is estimated that up to 66 percent of nitrogen fertilizer applied to rice may be lost via nitrous oxide emissions to the air. With approximately 80 percent of the world’s rice production area, agriculture in Asia accounts for 88 percent of regional nitrous oxide emissions, about the same level of annual GHG emissions as from 18.2 million average U.S. automobiles.
China is currently the largest consumer of nitrogen fertilizer in the world, representing nearly 30 percent of total world consumption.
The agreement also calls for collaboration on the development of NUE and salt-tolerant rice varieties suitable for commercialization in Ningxia. The objective for salt-tolerant rice is to enable Ningxia farmers to reclaim salt-impacted fields for production and reduce total demand for limited fresh water resources.
Based in Davis, Calif., with additional facilities in Seattle, Wash. and Phoenix, Ariz., Arcadia Biosciences is an agricultural biotechnology company focused on the development of agricultural products that improve the environment and enhance human health.