b'FIELDS OF THE FUTUREThe inside of a wheat plant as shown in a photo generated by the Canadian Light Source synchrotron. Photo courtesy Canadian Light Sourceognize a specific root exudate in wheatincluding seed-applied ones. Her recent and canola that is linked to the need forrecognition by Bayer is raising the profile nitrogen. The plant is already releasingof her work, taking it to new heights.this exudate, so the aptamer could theoret- People in agriculture have been so ically become part of a seed coating thatopen to these ideas, these really novel responds to the presence of this signal,technologies, and to applying them in releasing nitrogen fertilizer only when theall kinds of ways. Theres a false percep-plant needs it. tion among the public that agriculture is DeRosa has been inspired by workkind of old-fashioned and slow to change. done by renowned Carleton researcherThats not at all true. Agriculture is ripe for Carlos Monreal, and also by chemist andinnovation and this is the proof.Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffman, who wrote an article called DNA as Clay that hasLighting the Wayfueled her quest to discover more aboutWant to look inside a seed? Youll need a aptamers. Hoffman wrote that DNA couldreally bright light. One thats brighter than allow human beings to sculpt somethingthe sun. Chithra Karunakaran uses such aChithra Karunakaran is a scientist new, perhaps beautiful, perhaps useful,light to discover what secrets seeds hold. at the Canadian Light Source certainly unnatural if chemists lookedKarunakaran is a scientist at the(CLS), a synchrotron the size beyond the genetic view of DNA. Canadian Light Source (CLS), a synchro- of a football field based at the I got hooked on that idea and stilltron the size of a football field basedUniversity of Saskatchewan.am, DeRosa says. at the University of Saskatchewan. ThePhoto: David StobbeDeRosa and her team have alreadysynchrotron produces light using electrons developed a prototype of a smart fertilizeraccelerated by radio frequency waves and and are beginning field trials. Its onlypowerful electro-magnets to nearly the the beginning of what she says could bespeed of light. Energy is added to the elec-a revolution in crop protection products,trons as they accelerate so that, when the 20GERMINATION.CANOVEMBER 2021'