The world is facing unprecedented challenges in food systems (i.e., on farm profitability and public demand for environmental health) due to climate change, water scarcity, diminution of arable lands,…

The Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded Astalake Biosystems, Inc. $181,500 under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program to develop improved alfalfa varieties through synthetic biology. Alfalfa is a perennial legume with potential benefits to soil health, environmental health, and animal and human nutrition. Under this one-year project grant running from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, Astalake Biosystems will utilize its synthetic biology platform to engineer alfalfa with traits for higher biomass yield per acre, improved digestibility for animal feed, and increased stress tolerance. These enhanced alfalfa varieties aim to support the USDA's strategic goals around combating climate change, ensuring a resilient agricultural system, and expanding rural economic opportunities by offering high-yield, high-quality forage as animal feed and potential bioenergy feedstock.

The world is facing unprecedented challenges in food systems (i.e., on farm profitability and public demand for environmental health) due to climate change, water scarcity, diminution of arable lands, and population increase to nearly 8 billion people. Alfalfa (medicago sativa) is a perennial nitrogen-fixing legume with tremendous potential benefits to soil health, environmental health, and contribution to animal and human nutrition. As one of the world's oldest domesticated forage crops, alfalfa is grown on six continents and is the fourth most important economic crop in the united states. Traits such as higher yields, stress tolerance, and biomass quality (improved digestibility and nutrient composition) have been targeted by alfalfa breeders to benefit farmers, cattle growers, and beef/dairy industries. In this sbir project, astalake biosystems' state-of-the-art synthetic biology technology offers significantly improved forage alfalfa with a combination of beneficial traits- higher biomass yield per acre, improved digestibility (high quality), and increased stress tolerance. Enabled by our biotechnology platform, these traits will contribute to the USDA strategic goals 1: combat climate change to support america's working lands, natural resources, and communities, 2: ensure america's agricultural system is equitable, resilient, and prosperous, 3: foster an equitable and competitive marketplace for all agricultural producers, 4: provide all americans safe, nutritious food, and 5: expand opportunities for economic development and improve quality of life in rural and tribal communities. The technology will offer high yield, high quality, and climate-smart advantages in alfalfa as animal feed and potential bioenergy/biorefinery feedstocks. Thus, the project is significantly connected to USDA priority areas: agriculturally-related manufacturing technology and energy efficiency and alternative and renewable energy.