Grown for centuries by indigenous farmers in rural Mexico, this incredibly rare corn can self-fertilise. In episode three of 'Planet Fix', we explore how this wonder crop could help tackle world hunger, and even end farming's toxic reliance on chemical fertilisers for good! Best of Earth Lab: http://bit.ly/EarthLabOriginals Best of BBC Earth: http://bit.ly/TheBestOfBBCEarthVideos #Maize #PlanetFix This is a channel from BBC Studios who help fund new BBC programmes. Service information and feedback: http://bbcworldwide.com/vod-feedback--contact-details.aspx

tl;dw: There is a type of maize in Latin America that can self fertilize and nitrogen fix itself. Though a lot of this is popsci nonsense, they have been hybridizing it to a lot of success

  • ClimateChangeAnxiety [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Nitrogen is 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere, and is necessary for all plant growth. Either we’re taking it out of the air to make fertilizer, or the plant is doing it themselves. Currently we mostly use natural gas to produce fertilizer (methane provides the hydrogen) and this would eliminate that need.

    Also all of that nitrogen eventually makes its way back to the air, nitrogen gas is basically the most stable thing a nitrogen atom can be so eventually it makes it’s way back to that.