Engineering microbes
for sustainable agriculture
We develop high-performing biologicals that will become a new class of sustainable agriculture solutions.
Every teaspoon of soil is home to billions of microbes
We aim to provide growers with new solutions to feed and nourish the world. By engineering crop-colonizing microbes, we can develop a new class of biologicals that are sustainable and reach unprecedented levels of performance and reliability.
Microbes have evolved alongside plants and contributed to their growth by helping them efficiently access nutrients and protect against pests and diseases. We are plant scientists, microbiologists, synthetic biologists, and data scientists looking to the plant microbiome to drive the development of better and more sustainable solutions for today's farmers.
Our first challenge:
Significantly reducing agriculture's reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer
Our first product will be an engineered microbe that enables cereal crops like corn, wheat, and rice to convert nitrogen from the air into a form they can use to grow. This will significantly reduce the industry's reliance on traditional chemical fertilizer, as well as greenhouse gases produced by agriculture.
Reducing the amount of industrial nitrogen fertilizer would:
We are plant scientists, microbiologists, synthetic biologists, and data scientists.
Our work leverages the synthetic biology leadership of Ginkgo Bioworks with Bayer’s deep knowledge and experience in crop science and ag biologicals.
