MANY MINDEDCorn trials test microbes that switch on nitrogen production mid-season
California-based Switch Bioworks started its first multi-state corn field trials in the US Midwest in May 2026, according to AgFunder News. The in-furrow trials test engineered soil microbes that colonize plant roots and then switch on ammonia production several weeks into the growing season. The microbes make ammonia using the enzyme nitrogenase, combining nitrogen with hydrogen, and the genetic switch responds to a change in the soil environment without any farmer intervention.
The company, led by founder Tim Schnabel, built the microbes from engineered viral parts, non-natural parts, and parts from other bacteria, and has obtained field-release permits from the USDA and EPA. Schnabel said replacing 25% of nitrogen fertilizer while holding yields steady would be a major win, with biology's likely ceiling around 50%. By the company's own techno-economic analysis, that translates to roughly $20 to $30 per acre in fertilizer savings.
Synthetic nitrogen is one of the largest recurring input costs in grain farming and carries a heavy energy and emissions footprint. Biology that quietly supplies a quarter of that need would lower the cost of growing food and reduce a major dependency in the food system.
The caveats are substantial. This is late-stage R&D, not a shipping product. The company does not necessarily expect a measurable nitrogen or yield response this season; the goals are colonization and switch timing. Commercialization is targeted for two to three years out, partnership talks are ongoing with no announced deals, and Schnabel declined to disclose the precise environmental trigger.
Source: AgFunder News