Nitrousink Ltd., the newly formed subsidiary of agri-tech company Save Foods, Inc., recently announced that it has filed an application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office related to reducing nitrous oxide emissions ("N2O," commonly referred to as the "forgotten greenhouse gas") from wheat crops.
According to a press release put out by Save Foods, the company's lab has produced two bacteria species capable of decreasing emissions produced by wheat roots across various environmental conditions. The first of these bacteria, which the company claims reduces emissions by 44%, is active under oxygen conditions, while the other, which operates in oxygen-depleted conditions, reduces emissions by 39%.
The company claims, when used in combination, these bacteria can form the basis of a comprehensive soil management solution to N2O emissions. Given that nearly 3/4 of man-made N2O emissions entering the atmosphere are a result of agricultural soil management, the implications of this application are potentially profound.
While U.S. patent law provides that native microorganisms cannot be patented in their original form, both the process and product of genetic modification can validly form the subject of patentable material.
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