SYNCORNET addresses a central challenge in modern agriculture: improving how nitrogen is used to support crop production while reducing environmental impacts.
In current systems, a substantial portion of applied nitrogen is not taken up by crops and is instead lost through leaching and emissions, contributing to water quality issues and greenhouse gas production .
Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency
More effective alignment between nitrogen availability and plant demand can increase the proportion of applied nitrogen that is captured by crops.
By coordinating plant traits, soil processes, and biological interactions, SYNCORNET aims to improve how nitrogen is used within the system rather than increasing inputs.
Reducing Environmental Impacts
Nitrogen that is not taken up by plants can be lost to the environment, contributing to nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions.
Improving nitrogen capture reduces these losses, helping to limit environmental impacts associated with fertilizer use.
Maintaining Agricultural Productivity
Improving nitrogen efficiency must be achieved without compromising crop yield.
SYNCORNET is designed to evaluate whether coordinated plant–soil strategies can substantially reduce nitrogen fertilizer requirements—targeting reductions on the order of 50% or more—while maintaining crop productivity under field conditions .
Supporting Scalable Agricultural Systems
Agricultural systems vary widely across environments, requiring approaches that are robust under different conditions.
By testing integrated strategies across field environments, SYNCORNET aims to identify approaches that can be applied at scale in corn production systems.
Enabling Future Innovation
The approaches developed through SYNCORNET contribute to a broader understanding of how plant biology, soil processes, and microbial interactions can be coordinated to improve nutrient use.
These insights can inform future research, breeding strategies, and management practices in corn and other cropping systems.
SYNCORNET 