Growing Science
Pat Unkefer of the Bioscience Division knew she needed help getting her discovery "out there." She and her team had discovered that a natural plant metabolite, 2-oxoglutaramate, when applied to plants, stimulates growth by 10 percent or more. Treated plants increase their rates of photosynthesis—they grow faster, get bigger, and mature sooner. The metabolite modifies the plant's metabolism by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide the plant takes from the air and converts to carbohydrates. It also increases the amount of nitrogen the plant takes from the soil. Both processes benefit the environment. Nitrogen is a major pollutant when it washes into waterways, so more nitrogen in the plants means less nitrogen in the soil and waterways. Because carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, using the metabolite is also valuable for increasing carbon capture and sequestration.