Study shows Arcadia’s Nitrogen Use Efficiency trait increases yield in NERICA rice

Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company that creates value for farmers while benefitting the environment and human health, announced the results of a new study conducted by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). The study, "Development and Field Performance of Nitrogen Use Efficient Rice Lines for Africa,” published in the Plant Biotechnology Journal, showed significant yield improvements in NERICA rice lines incorporating Arcadia’s Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) trait.

In field evaluations over three growing seasons and in both upland and lowland rice production systems, rice lines with Arcadia’s NUE trait showed substantial yield increases under different nitrogen application rates. The leading NUE rice line showed a 34 percent increase over controls.

“This study indicates that Arcadia’s NUE trait can support enhanced yields for the world’s most important food crop,” said Raj Ketkar, president and CEO of Arcadia. “While the CIAT study references NERICA rice varieties, we believe our NUE trait can generate significant yield gains, reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizer, and improve on-farm economics for farmers growing rice varieties currently being commercialized in Asia, the world’s most important production and consumption rice market.”

Rice is the world’s most valuable crop, grown on more than 405 million acres globally with a harvest value of $328 billion in 2013, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The crop plays a critical role in food security for more than half of the world’s population.

Arcadia’s NUE trait was developed to help farmers increase yields and reduce their use of nitrogen fertilizer, a staple in the agricultural industry for increasing crop yield. Conventional crops only use about half of applied nitrogen fertilizer. Much of the remainder moves through the soil and enters ground and surface water systems, or volatilizes into the air as a greenhouse gas 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

Arcadia’s NUE trait enables plants to use nitrogen more efficiently, helping farmers improve yields while reducing costly fertilizer inputs and improving the environmental footprint of agriculture. The trait’s efficacy has been demonstrated in multiple crops, including rice, wheat, barley and canola.