<p class="ql-block">一些科技公司正在募集数亿美金开发以微生物和海藻为原料促进农作物生长的产品。全世界肥料价格上涨，人们担忧如何生产足够的食品。</p><p class="ql-block">Technology companies are raising hundreds of millions of dollars to develop farm products that use microbes and seaweed to grow crops. The move comes at a time fertilizer prices are very high and increased attention is being paid to how food is produced around the world.</p> <p class="ql-block">生物兴奋剂</p><p class="ql-block">Bio stimulants </p><p class="ql-block"><br></p> <p class="ql-block">微生物，包括真菌和病毒，多年来用于农业防止害虫和疾病，产生了综合结果。开发商正在更多的应用这些自然的方法保持和提升农作物生产水平。</p><p class="ql-block">Microbes, including fungi and viruses, have been available for years as treatments to protect plants from insects and disease, with mixed results. But developers are increasingly using them as natural ways to support crops while keeping up production levels.</p> <p class="ql-block">新的微生物肥料被称为生物兴奋剂。这类产品有助于农民少用氮肥。 氮肥污染河道，产生氮氧化物和污染环境的气体。加拿大想在2030年切断肥料释放的污染，欧盟也希望减少肥料用量。</p><p class="ql-block">The new microbial fertilizers are sometimes called bio stimulants. Such products could help farmers use less nitrogen- a fertilizer that can pollute waterways and create nitrous oxide, a gas that has environmental effects. Canada wants to cut fertilizer emission by 2030, while the European Union aims to reduce fertilizer usage. </p> <p class="ql-block">诺维信是丹麦最大的生物农业产品的销售商。一种包含真菌的产品沿着植物根部生长，从土壤中释放农作物需要的磷酸盐。挪威雅雅国际说，它的生物兴奋剂基于海藻和其它物质。</p><p class="ql-block">Denmark based Novozymes is one of the biggest sellers of biological agriculture products. One product contains a fungus that grows alongside plant roots and release phosphate, a crop nutrient, from the soil. Yara International of Norway says its bio stimulants are based on seaweed and other substance. </p> <p class="ql-block">另一种刚刚启动的生物制品是用微生物吸收谷物、小麦或高粱根部的糖，产生一种生物酶，把氮转化为农作物需要的氨。</p><p class="ql-block">Another product from the startup Pivot Bio has microbes that take in sugar from the roots of corn, wheat, or sorghum plant, producing an enzyme that changes nitrogen to ammonia, a crop nutrient. </p> <p class="ql-block">加利福尼亚的一家公司说，农民在四十万公顷的土地上使用了它的产品。它去年募集了4.3亿美金的投资。</p><p class="ql-block">The California based company says farmers use it on more than 400,000 hectares. It has also raised $ 430 million last year from investors.</p> <p class="ql-block">Agfunder说，2021年生物兴奋剂和谷物控制产品的投资是前一年的二倍，高达7.77亿美金。期望未来五年30亿美金规模的生物兴奋剂行业年均增长百分之十二到十五。</p><p class="ql-block">Agfunder said investments in bio stimulants and crop control products have more than doubled in 2021 from the previous year, to $777 million. And Rabobank expects the $3 billion bio stimulants industry to grow by 12 to 15 percent each year over the next five years. </p> <p class="ql-block">尚未规范的行业</p><p class="ql-block">Unregulated industry </p> <p class="ql-block">生物肥料大多数没有规范，它们在发展谷物方面的效果如何，仅有少量的研究。不是每个人都相信生物兴奋剂有效。</p><p class="ql-block">Microbial fertilizers are largely unregulated, with few studies on how effective they are at developing crops. And not everyone is convinced bio stimulants work.</p> <p class="ql-block">明尼苏达大学的土壤学家在过去的两个季节测试了Pivot 的产品，他在六个区域使用它们，同时减少氮肥， 仅有一个区域显示产出有所改善。</p><p class="ql-block">University of Minnesota soil scientist Daniel Kaiser tested Pivot’s Product over the past two seasons. He used them on six area with reduced nitrogen fertilizer treatments. But only one area showed an improved yield. </p> <p class="ql-block">“生物兴奋剂的科学原理听上去不错，但是从概念到实际应用到农田是两回事，”他说。</p><p class="ql-block">“With o lot of these ( bio stimulants product) the scientific principles are sound. But taking them from a concept to something that will work in the field, that’s where they tend to fall apart ,” he said. </p> <p class="ql-block">目前，美国仅有少数州要求企业提供生物肥料有效性的数据。美国环保机构仅仅对公众发布了一个指导性的草案。欧盟将从2022年7月开始要求提供生物兴奋剂的有关数据。Currently, only a small number of American states require companies to supply data on the effectiveness of microbial fertilizers. And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has only issued draft guidance for public review. In Europe, Union will require data on bio stimulants starting in July 2022.</p>