The study, recently published in the journal Biology, investigated how bacteria in non-photosynthetic leaf cells of seed plants can naturally provide nitrogen to plants. Currently, inorganic nitrogen fertilizers, such as ammonia or nitrate, are commonly applied to soils, damaging soils, and causing nitrogen runoff that contaminates streams, rivers, and other water bodies.

Bayer will be the anchor agricultural customer of Ginkgo Bioworks's expanded platform, entering into a new multi-year collaboration which will focus on the advancement of Joyn's nitrogen fixation program, as well as new programs in areas such as crop protection and carbon capture.

It's long been understood that microbes play an important role in making nutrients available to plants but new research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows that different microbes play distinct roles and environmental factors influence activity.