Project Overview

Considering the potential challenges our product might encounter, from the initial stages of laboratory development, through cultivation and promotion, to its eventual launch in the market, we communicate with multiple professors of microbiology and immunology, soybean cultivation experts and soybean food researchers. We learn a lot of knowledge in these related fields and continuously improve our project. We also design suitable downstream products based on their experiences. Meanwhile, through communication with stakeholders of soybean food, we gain a deeper understanding of how our project impacts the world and holds positive significance for human society.

iHP Timeline

Xiaoqiang Jiao - Professor of Agricultural Resources and Environment

Why we contacted him

We planned to improve the quality of soybeans and bring economic value by producing DHA through root nodules. Meanwhile, we hoped that through our project, we could promote the use of our rhizobia inoculants and the planting form of Nodule factory. Professor Xiaoqiang Jiao had promoted the Science and Technology Backyards (STB) in Malawi, Africa. He established a system of “lead farmers” there, which effectively improved the local backwardness in agriculture and the current situation of underdevelopment in the economy. Therefore, we planned to interview Professor Xiaoqiang Jiao to understand the working methods of the STB in Africa and the feasibility of using the system of “leading farmers” to promote rhizobia inoculants. Also, we wanted to know the basic information of the development of agriculture and food nutrition in the local place.

What we learned

• The model of STB in Malawi: The university collaborated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the local Ministry of Agriculture. Under such a cooperative model, universities provided technology, United Nations organizations provided international influence, and local agriculture departments promoted local agricultural systems, forming a "multi-stakeholder agriculture" system.
• The cooperation with the United Nations focused on two aspects of sustainability: the first is food security, which meant making more food available; the second is that we should increase the income of rural farmers.
• Rhizobia inoculants can not be directly made into fertilizer. Instead, we could consider the inoculation method from the perspective of agricultural machinery, like applying rhizobia inoculants into fermented organic fertilizer to reduce the impact of fertilizer itself on inoculants.
• The model of the system of “leading farmers”: Cooperated with large growers or directors of Chinese production cooperatives in the main soybean producing areas. Make larger farmers driving smaller farmers as demonstration. If the effect was good, it could naturally attract more people to participate, which would establish the system of “leading farmers” through a certain length of time.
• Advantages of the planting form of Nodule Factory: Africa had poor soil nutrition and poor economy. If DHA and EPA could be produced while planting soybeans, this agricultural product with added value could naturally help small farmers to a large extent and be accepted by them. However, even if Nodule Factory did not have this added value, the root nodule itself had a role in nitrogen enrichment, which could transform the unusable nitrogen in the soil into available organic nitrogen fertilizer, and improve the problem of nutrition shortage of the local soil.

Reflection

Through this interview, we learn the correct use of rhizobia inoculants in practical production and the promotion strategy to the majority of farmers, providing a reference for the practical implement and downstream design of our project. In some underdeveloped countries in Africa, backwardness in agriculture has led to people being trapped in the dilemma of insufficient and unhealthy food nutrition. Our project can increase the economic value by producing DHA from root nodules, which can improve this dilemma. In addition, Professor Jiao's experience in working with FAO provids useful guidance for our HP work on SDI.

Francina Lerato Kuwali - Agricultural Extension Worker

Why we contacted her

We learned from the interview with Xiaoqiang Jiao that we could make our genetically modified S. fredii into rhizobia inoculants and extended it, but we also wanted to know about the current promotion situation of rhizobia inoculants in some underdeveloped regions. Francina Lerato Kuwali was an agricultural extension worker in Malawi. She and her classmates helped local farmers in her country achieve a maize yield of 9,000 kg per hectare, nearly three times of the local average. She was also responsible for researching maize-soya integrated systems and had extensive experience in planting soybeans. So we decided to interview her to know about the possibility of promoting rhizobia inoculants in local area.

What we learned

• She thought there was a good chance that our rhizobia inoculants could increase the yield and additional value of soybeans. And it was worth trying.
• She was very interested in our project and she also thought that it could bring economic value to local people if we could succeed in using rhizobia to produce the main components of fish oil.
• She also confirmed our idea about transporting DHA from root nodules to soybeans, believing that it could increase the income of local farmers. She thought it is worthy of academic research.

Reflection

After communicating with her, we decide to promote rhizobia inoculants in agricultural in underdeveloped regions, which can increase the yield of soybeans and promote the development of local economy. But when it comes to the maize-soya integration system, more experiments should be done on the local place to determine if it affects maize.

Zhi Chen- Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Why we contacted her

We planned to use rhizobia to produce DHA, the main component of fish oil. However, the gene cluster responsible for DHA synthesis was too large and might not be successfully transformed into rhizobia. Additionally, we understood that the mainly components of fish oil are DHA and EPA. We wondered if rhizobia could produce EPA as well. Compared to the existing methods of fish oil production, whether our project had competitive advantages.

What we learned

• Professor Zhi Chen explained the reasons for using algae to produce DHA, emphasizing that algae naturally possesses the ability to produce oil, and its oil yield under natural conditions is not low.
• Currently, there are two major industrial methods for producing DHA: one is through algae collection, the other is from deep sea fish oil. The latter is rich in oil primarily due to the fact that fish consume algae, but resulting in an energy loss in the process.
• She also proposed a method of using lipolytic yeast to produce EPA by introducing EPA-producing genes into this type of yeast, which has already been successfully demonstrated in past cases.

Reflection

Based on the methods provided by Professor Chen, we revise the genes required for our project and gain a deeper understanding of the advantages of our DHA production process. By combining the simultaneous production of EPA and DHA, we aim to achieve a more efficient method for fish oil production.

Jian Jiao- Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Why we contacted him

During the initial stages of constructing the pathway of our project, we planned to incorporate regulatory modules that could activate or deactivate related pathways based on changes in the plant growth environment. Knowing that Professor Jian Jiao had a long-standing expertise in the study of interactions between rhizobia and leguminous plants, the evolution of nodule genomes, and the adaptability of rhizobia to various environments. We planned to interview Professor Jian Jiao in the hope of obtaining valuable information about environmental changes that impacted the growth of leguminous plants.

What we learned

We learned that most farmers apply nitrogen fertilizer one to two weeks before the soybean pods form, which raised the nitrogen content in the soil.

Reflection

Based on this information, we design a nitrogen-responsive promoter within the regulatory pathway of nitrogen content in soybean cultivation soil. When farmers apply nitrogen fertilizer to the field, the increase in nitrogen content in the soil will activate the pathway and trigger its onset.

Qiang Zhao - Senior Agricultural Machinery Engineer

Why we contacted him

Our project ultimately aimed to produce the main components of fish oil in root nodules, which required collecting and further processing the nodules to enrich DHA and EPA. Therefore, we were interested about whether farmers would deal with the underground parts of the soybean plants after harvest. Since we planned to use gene-editing to create transgenic crops, we also wanted to know the local farmers' acceptance of such crops. We went to Zhuozhou, Hebei Province, in China, where Mr. Zhao Qiang served as the local soybean cultivation supervisor. We hoped to gain insights into his perspective on transgenic crops.

What we learned

• We learned that local farmers only harvested the above-ground parts by using a soybean harvester to cut off the upper section, leaving the underground parts, including the root nodules, in the soil.
• We learned that farmers did not continuously plant soybeans in the same field as it could lead to the occurrence of blight diseases of soybeans and reduced yields. Instead, they adopted a crop rotation method so-called “meet the stubble”, for example, alternatively planting between soybeans and wheat.
• Mr. Zhao believed that genetically modified (GM) technology represented the future direction of development. Compared to traditional breeding techniques, GM technology is faster, more precise, more targeted and cost-effective.

Reflection

We learn about the farmers' acceptance of our product, genetically modified soybeans, and we finally confirm the harvest method of DHA and EPA. Specifically, after harvesting the soybeans, we will dig up the root nodules underground and extract nutritional composition from them.

Jinbiao Hu - Field Planting Technology Guidance Teacher

Why we contacted him

The quantity and growth condition of rhizobia during soybean growth had a direct impact on our project. We would like to understand the situation of farmers' additional inoculation of rhizobia before soybean growth. Jinbiao Hu was specifically responsible for guiding soybean planting in the field and had rich experience in the planting and harvesting of soybeans. Therefore, we interviewed Mr. Hu to further understand the details of planting.

What we learned

• Microbial fertilizers were not widely used in local farms.
• Applying rhizobia inoculants was more effective than applying nitrogen fertilizer alone.
• Before growing, farmers did not conduct additional inoculation of rhizobia. Instead, they relied on the naturally existing rhizobia in the soil to assist in nitrogen fixation.

Reflection

Through the interviews, we learn that farmers generally do not inoculate rhizobia. Therefore, in our experiments, we choose not to inoculate rhizobia in the control group as well, in order to better simulate the environment of the planting site. Additionally, considering that the locals have a relatively positive attitude towards microbial fertilizers such as rhizobia inoculants, we consider transforming our modified S. fredii into rhizobia inoculants as a product.

Changfu Tian - Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Why we contacted him

Our project ultimately aimed to extract DHA and EPA from root nodules, so we needed to understand the extraction methods. Additionally, the timing of applying nitrogen fertilizer to activate the expression of DHA and EPA remained to be explored. Professor Changfu Tian specializes in the study of the symbiotic nitrogen-fixing system between rhizobia and leguminous plants, utilizing comprehensive approaches such as molecular ecology, molecular genetics and evolution to investigate the survival and evolutionary mechanisms of rhizobia during saprophytic and symbiotic stages. Therefore, we planned to interview Professor Tian to gain insights into these relevant topics.

What we learned

• We learned about the research on magnetosomes. If we inserted the magnetosome gene cluster into the genome of root nodules and express magnetosomes, it would be beneficial for utilizing magnetic adsorption to collect rhizobia.
• We also knew about the scientific fertilization method. The Soil and Fertilizer Station randomly selected sampling locations to measure physical and chemical properties. Based on these indicators, they issued fertilization policies to guide local farmers in applying fertilizer at appropriate times. However, many farmers in different regions did not follow the guidance of the Soil and Fertilizer Station, instead, they tended to rely more on their own experience for fertilization.
• The inoculation of rhizobia, requirements varied among different countries. For example, Some countries like Brazil and Argentina had legislation requiring the inoculation of rhizobia during soybean growth, while some countries did not have relevant legal provisions.

Reflection

This aligns with the outcome of our interview with Prof. Jian Jiao, where we learned that farmers generally apply nitrogen fertilizer based on their experience. This further validates the rationality of our approach to utilize the nitrogen-induced activation circuit.

Shuntang Guo - Professor of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering

Why we contacted him

Our project ultimately aimed to produce DHA and EPA from root nodules. And we also hoped to eventually achieve the transportation of DHA and EPA from the root nodules to the beans, making soybeans even more nutritious. Professor Shuntang Guo's invention of soybean ice cream had become a huge hit on campus and across the internet. Therefore, we planned to interview Prof. Shuntang Guo about alternative methods of preparing soybean products, as well as his opinion on whether he would consider incorporating our fish oil-enriched soybeans into his creations.

What we learned

• Currently, many products containing DHA and EPA were made through food processing additives. It would be significant if we could address this issue at the raw material level.
• Our project was still in the laboratory stage and we needed to consider many issues before proceeding to production and market. Only after multiple tests could we move forward with commercialization.
• If we wanted to promote our product to the market, we must comprehensively consider factors such as cultivation and production, as well as whether there were any off-odors during storage.

Reflection

Through this interview, we realize that there is still a long way to go before our project can be truly promoted to market. However, if we can find a way to transport DHA and EPA from root nodules to the beans, it will have even greater economic value.

Hongli Yuan - Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Why we contacted him

We learned that Professor Hongli Yuan was previously involved in the "WeiGuang Plan" project, collaborating with a company to introduce their products for implementation in rural areas, which contributed to the beneficial development of the rural economy. The downstream products of our project also required promotion to the market. Therefore, we planned to interview Professor Yuan to gain insights on how to convert scientific research achievements into products and effectively promoted them.

What we learned

• We learned about Professor Yuan's "WeiGuang Plan" in detail. It actually refers to her collaboration with a company to make full use of the power of rural women, children and even the elderly, especially women. By teaching them how to use emerging products and therefore, they could guide local farmers in their application.
• We learned that the research results from a laboratory might be feasible within the laboratory setting, but more issues might arise in actual production and application, requiring multiple improvements.
• We learned that our project could bring more employment opportunities to local farmers, helping to mitigate the negative effects of rural population outflow.

Reflection

We plan to promote our product and further improve it based on users’ feedback to make it more comprehensive. At the same time, we also need to comprehensively consider the geographical and climatic conditions of a specific location and choose suitable locations for promotion.