Building the VFRC
The Virtual Fertilizer Research Center (VFRC), established under the
auspices of IFDC, is a research initiative that fosters the creation of
the next generation of fertilizers and production technologies to
help feed the world’s growing population and provide sustainable
increases in global food production. The VFRC was conceived as a
global solution to a global problem. Globally, there have been no
fundamental reflections about the role and functioning of mineral
fertilizers over the past five decades or more, and compared to other
sectors, very low investments have been made in mineral fertilizer
research and development (R&D).
The VFRC therefore reflects on current fertilizers and proposes a more
deliberate adoption of knowledge of plant physiological processes —
including the diversity of mineral nutrient uptake mechanisms, their
translocation and metabolism — as an entry point in identifying the
physicochemical “packaging” of nutrients, their composition, amount
and timing of application to meet plant physiological needs for improved
instantaneous uptake. In addition to delivery through the root, we
suggest that efforts be redoubled with several other uptake avenues,
which as of now are at best haphazard, for the delivery of nutrients to
the plant, including above ground parts and seed coating. Furthermore,
ecological processes, including nutrient-specific interactions in plant
and soil, plant-micro-organism symbiosis and micno-bit technology,
have to be exploited to enhance nutrient uptake. Micno-bits are tiny
(micro and nano) particles that can enter through conventional uptake
channels and can be “devoured” in their entirety through endocytosis by
roots and leaves. The uptake of which may come with multiple benefits,
certainly when containing micronutrients. The VFRC catalyzes a process
in pursuit of concerted R&D efforts to achieve these strategies.
Moreover, a team of scientists from multiple disciplines, including
fertilizer specialists, plant biologist, soil scientists, agronomists, ICT
specialist, nutritionists, medical specialists, chemists, engineers and
economists should be engaged in developing and executing the R&D
agenda. Conversely, the global solutions will have local ramifications,
necessitating expertis