Can plants provide natural alternatives to synthetic nitrification inhibitors? This project will screen hydroponically produced root-derived compounds from selected plant species for their ability to suppress nitrification and improve sustainable nitrogen management

Nitrification converts ammonium into nitrate and can contribute to nitrogen losses from agricultural systems. Synthetic nitrification inhibitors can reduce these losses, but their efficiency varies and concerns remain regarding persistence and non-target effects. Some plants naturally release mixtures of compounds that suppress ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, a process known as biological nitrification inhibition (BNI).

The project will compare sorghum (Sorghum bicolor), Plantago lanceolata, rice (Oryza sativa) and Brachypodium distachyon as potential sources of BNI-active material. Plants will be cultivated hydroponically, and root exudates—and potentially root extracts—will be collected and tested using a defined ammonia-oxidizing bacterium such as Nitrosomonas europaea. 

The aim is to identify reproducible plant-derived BNI activity and evaluate whether natural mixtures from efficient species could support more sustainable ammonium-based fertilization. The most active material may subsequently be tested in a small proof-of-concept experiment with an ammonium-based or nano-formulated fertilizer.