{"id":169036,"date":"2024-11-06T08:17:07","date_gmt":"2024-11-06T08:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/06\/exploiting-a-genetic-quirk-in-potatoes-may-cut-fertilizer-needs\/"},"modified":"2024-11-06T08:17:07","modified_gmt":"2024-11-06T08:17:07","slug":"exploiting-a-genetic-quirk-in-potatoes-may-cut-fertilizer-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/06\/exploiting-a-genetic-quirk-in-potatoes-may-cut-fertilizer-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploiting a genetic quirk in potatoes may cut fertilizer needs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Potatoes are the third-most consumed food worldwide and a delicious snack. But modern farm potatoes require large amounts of nitrogen in the form of nitrate fertilizers, which are costly and can be environmentally harmful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of researchers has found that the same genetic mechanism that tells potatoes when to grow flowers and tubers (the edible part) is also a key player in the plant\u2019s nitrogen management. The findings, described November 6 in New Phytologist<\/em>, could lead to the development of potato varieties that require less fertilizer<\/a>, saving farmers money and reducing the environmental footprint of potato cultivation.<\/p>\n\n\n