Technology Summary

The present technology provides a system allowing for food producing plants (i.e. soybeans, tomatoes) to be successfully planted in soils that have a low bioavailability of iron. The plants are engineered to express an iron/phytosiderophore transporter protein. The transporter protein takes up iron when complexed with a chelator produced by grasses (e.g. oats) called a phytosiderophore (PS). By providing the appropriate PS through direct application or via a companion (nurse) crop, engineered plants possess the ability to take up the iron/PS complex. Therefore, the technology allows for the production of food crops, like soybeans and tomatoes, in soils that were previously inhospitable for food production.