Amino acids as fertilizer for agronomic crops: The next green revolution?

Abstract This study sought to determine whether organic N in the form of amino acids could be used as a replacement for synthetic inorganic N fertilizer for growing an agronomic crop, and if so, would there be any agronomic or environmental benefits in doing so. A greenhouse study showed that corn ( Zea mays L.) grows equally as well with L‐lysine as the only source of N compared to that grown with ammonium nitrate. Positive results were also obtained for L‐histidine, but corn did not respond the same to L‐alanine or L‐arginine. Amino acid profiles for corn grown with ammonium nitrate, L‐lysine, and L‐histidine were similar. A subsequent field demonstration showed no difference in silage or grain yield between corn grown with liquid L‐lysine as N fertilizer in the form commercially produced as animal feed supplement and that of corn grown with urea ammonium nitrate as the N fertilizer. A core lysimeter study showed that the positively charged L‐lysine does not leach from soil. Environmental benefits, such as reduced carbon emissions and improved water quality, derived from biosynthetic L‐lysine or other amino acid production using N‐fixing microorganisms for use as N fertilizer are substantial. This study provides strong incentives for research into alternative means of biosynthesizing L‐lysine or other amino acids using N‐fixing microorganisms, which might be the next green revolution in agriculture.