Soil Bacteria Unlock Iron and Potassium for
Plants
INVENTORS • Eric Roden, Evgenya Shelobolina, Jason Benzine, Mai Yia Xiong
WARF: P120232US02
View U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US-2014-0260462 in PDF format.
Since its founding in 1925 as the patenting and
licensing organization for the University of Wisconsin-
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) is seeking commercial
partners interested in using Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria to boost the amount of
soil iron and potassium available to plants.
Madison, WARF has been working with business and
industry to transform university research into products
that benefit society. WARF intellectual property
managers and licensing staff members are leaders in
the field of university-based technology transfer. They
OVERVIEW
are familiar with the intricacies of patenting, have
worked with researchers in relevant disciplines,
understand industries and markets, and have
Potassium (K) and iron (Fe) are vital to plant nutrition. Both nutrients are abundant in soil
but in forms that cannot be utilized by plants. For example, 98 percent of soil potassium is
locked in silicate minerals like mica, feldspar and clay.
negotiated innovative licensing strategies to meet the
individual needs of business clients.
Finding a way to release these nutrients and make them available to plants would be
extremely valuable. The iron fertilizers currently on the market are unsatisfactory, while
the most common potassium fertilizer (KCl or “potash”) doubled in price in the last
decade due to global shortage.
THE INVENTION
UW–Madison researchers have developed a method of using common soil bacteria to
release iron and potassium in forms suitable for plants. The bacteria are capable of
oxidizing the Fe(II) found in silicate minerals. Oxidizing Fe(II) releases iron and potassium
that can be absorbed by plants.
Suitable bacteria include natural and genetically modified strains of Bradyrhizobia,
Cupriavidus necator, Ralstonia solanacearum, Dechloromonas agitate and Nocardioides.
One of these, Bradyrhizobia, is a well-known microorganism used to increase nitrogen
bioavailability.
APPLICATIONS
• Fertilizer to increase iron and potassium plant nutrition
KEY BENEFITS
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | 614 Walnut Street, 13th Floor | Madison, WI 53726 | [email protected] | www.warf.org
WARF: P120232US02
• Unlocks the nutrient potential of soil minerals
• A single microorganism (Bradyrhizobia) could be used to enhance levels of iron, potassium and nitrogen in soil.
• Long-term solution to fertilizer shortage concerns
STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT
The researchers have shown that significant levels of potassium and iron can be released from clay using the microorganisms.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Publications
Shelobolina E., Xu H., Konishi H., Kukkadapu R., Wu T., Blöthe M. and Roden E. 2012. Microbial Lithotrophic Oxidation of Structural Fe(II) in
Biotite. Appl Environ Microbiol. 78, 5746–5752.
Tech Fields
Agriculture - Crop production
CONTACT INFORMATION
For current licensing status, please contact Mark Staudt at [email protected] or (608) 265-3084.
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation | 614 Walnut Street, 13th Floor | Madison, WI 53726 | [email protected] | www.warf.org