In this case study a global fertilizers manufacturer engaged CPL Business Consultants to assess innovation in plant nutrition with a particular focus on disruptive technologies which could bring about changes in the fertilisers business. CPL’s detailed analysis and recommendations advised the company how to plan for future change and implement a research strategy to keep it ahead of the competition.
The objective of this study was to assist the client in planning actions to ensure it remained at the forefront of the plant nutrition business. To achieve this, the study assessed scientific innovation opportunities and threats in plant nutrition which could have an effect on the company’s fertiliser business. The study considers the principal factors that can lead to changes in the fertiliser business and addresses what types of change are likely to occur, from where will they come and when. The study drew conclusions about these changes and made specific strategic and implementation recommendations on responding to these changes.
An outline of the report contents can be found below.
Plant Nutrition Innovation: Changes in the Fertilisers Business
Executive Summary
- Objective
- Method
- General Conclusions
- Genetic Manipulation
- Nitrogen Metabolism
- Genetic Engineering for Improved Nitrogen Metabolism
- Soil (Free-Living) Microorganisms
- Combined and Integrated Systems
- Commercial Activities in Plant GMOs
- Public Sector and Academic Research on Plant GMOs and Nutrition
- Conclusions and Recommendations
- Approach to be Taken
- Getting Known
- Technical Objectives
- Research Programme
- Controlled Delivery Systems
- Relationship with Seed Companies
- Public Sector
- How
- Where
- US
- Europe
- When
Introduction to Plant Nutrition
Technical Aspects of Innovation in Plant Nutrition
- Macronutrients
- Productivity
- Uptake
- Uncertainties
- Threats to the Fertiliser Business
- Marker Crops
- Improved Efficiency
- Commercialisation
- Public Sector
Annex I. Technical Background and Areas of Innovation Opportunity
- Introduction
- Areas of Opportunity
Annex II. State of the Art Plant Nutrition Innovation
- Introduction
- Genetic Engineering
- Nitrogen – Overview
- Dinitrogen Fixation
- Nitrate Assimilation
- Ammonia (-Ium) Assimilation
- Summary on Nitrogen Fixation
- Photosynthesis and Carbon Fixation
- C3 Plants
- C4 Plants
- Other Minerals
- Partitioning, Metabolic Control and Source Sink Relationships
Annex III. Impacts of Innovation in Plant Nutrition
- The Impact of Academic Research
- The Impact of Industrial Activities
- The Impact of Putting Nitrogen Fixing Genes into Plants
- Key Research Programmes and Organisations in Plant Genetic Manipulation
- Government Funded Activities
- United States
- European Union
- Nitrogen Assimilation
- Ammonia
- Phosphate
- Photomorphogenesis
- Source -Sink
- Mapping
- Genetic Recombination
- Genes
- Lysine
- Industrial Groups
- The Plant Industrial Platform
Annex IV. Contact Reports from Plant Nutrition Innovators
Contacts with commercial and academic plant nutrition innovation centres including, e.g.
- John Innes Centre
- IACR-Rothamsted
- Rutgers – The State University of New Jersey
- University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI)
CPL Business Consultants has worked on a large number of plant nutrition projects which can be found on this site. Two examples are genetic engineering and water utilisation, and plant nutrition technology opportunities. Have a look at our PowerPoint Introduction and Brochure describing deliverables, differentiators and case studies. You can also review Eight case studies.