Bayer Licenses UC Davis Tech for Nitrogen-Fixing Grains
The licensed method edits grain DNA so plant roots can partner with soil bacteria that convert air nitrogen into a usable form.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Biotech
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Bayer has obtained a commercial license for a University of California, Davis technology that edits grain DNA so crop roots can host nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. The approach aims to reduce reliance on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in crops such as corn, wheat, and rice.
Why it matters
Corn, wheat, and rice cannot fix nitrogen naturally, while soybeans and other legumes can, and supply disruptions tied to the Iran war have raised fertilizer prices. Corn, wheat, and rice together supply nearly half the world's daily calories, making their fertilizer dependence a broad concern.
UC Davis researchers used CRISPR to make wheat release more apigenin through its roots, coaxing soil bacteria into fixing nitrogen. Whether this root-level signaling can be reliably scaled beyond controlled conditions has not been established.
The players
Bayer
A global life sciences company with a large crop science division that licensed the UC Davis technology.
Switch Bioworks
A Stanford spinout company partnering with Bayer to engineer root-dwelling microbes for nitrogen fixation.
University of California, Davis
The public research university whose researchers developed the grain DNA editing technology now licensed by Bayer.
The details
Researchers at the University of California, Davis edited grain DNA so plant roots release more apigenin, a compound that encourages soil bacteria to fix nitrogen from the air. Bayer has licensed the technology, and it is partnering with Stanford spinout Switch Bioworks to engineer root-dwelling microbes.
Timeline
This year: EU lawmakers approved a framework for gene-edited crops.
October: Bayer partnered with Switch Bioworks.
Next decade: Earliest expected arrival of commercial products.
The Tech Race
The UC Davis work extends CRISPR crop editing beyond traits like disease resistance into engineering the root chemistry that governs partnerships with soil microbes. It positions Bayer against other agricultural companies pursuing biological alternatives to synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.
If successful, the technology could reduce how much synthetic nitrogen fertilizer farmers must buy for corn, wheat, and rice. Products are unlikely to reach fields before the next decade, so near-term fertilizer costs are unaffected.
The takeaway
Biological nitrogen fixing in cereal crops remains a long-term research goal rather than a near-term fertilizer solution. Readers should expect slow commercial timelines as the technology moves from greenhouse trials to field testing.
What happens next
The next step is testing the technology outside the greenhouse.
Further reading
For related developments, explore Biotech coverage on California research and agriculture.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Genetic Literacy Project.
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Should governments support gene-edited crops that reduce synthetic fertilizer use?
