Mohamed Hijri: A simple solution to the coming phosphorus crisis
Mohamed Hijri: Yksinkertainen ratkaisu tulevaan fosforiongelmaan
Mohamed Hijri studies arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), seeking to understand the structure, evolution and reproduction of these organisms, which form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots. Full bio
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by asking you a question:
with the blue algae problem?
it's a serious issue.
blue algae-contaminated water,
I won't be talking about blue algae.
I'll be talking about the main cause
the phosphorus crisis.
about the phosphorus crisis today?
that nobody else is talking about it.
I hope that the general public
and this issue.
in this situation with blue algae?
tällaiseen sinilevätilanteeseen,
that it comes from how we farm.
chemical fertilizers.
kemiallisia lannoitteita.
in agriculture?
kemiallisia lannoitteita?
and to produce a better yield.
paremman sadon tuottamiseksi.
that is without precedent.
a crash course in plant biology.
kasvibiologian pikakurssin.
in order to grow?
needs light, it needs CO2,
it needs nutrients,
are essential chemical elements:
välttämättömiä kemiallisia alkuaineita:
these resources.
that is linked to phosphorus.
the most problematic chemical element.
you will have seen
and where we are today.
ja millainen nykytilanne on.
This is a very important point.
what the phosphorus issue is.
mistä fosforiongelmassa on kysymys.
in several molecules,
is phosphorus-based --
perustuu fosforiin:
These are called phospholipids.
Näitä kutsutaan fosfolipideiksi.
ATP, is phosphorus-based.
ATP, perustuu fosforiin.
phosphorus is a key component of DNA,
fosfori on avainosa DNA:ssa,
and which is shown in this image.
ja joka näkyy tässä kuvassa.
phosphorus is a key player.
fosfori on avaintekijä.
from the soil, through water.
from the things we eat:
eat better than others.
syövät paremmin kuin toiset.
which speaks for itself,
joka puhuu puolestaan,
as intensive agriculture.
on the use of chemical fertilizers.
kemiallisten lannoitteiden käyttöön.
we would not manage to produce enough
7 billion of us on Earth.
maapallolla seitsemän miljardia.
there will be 9 billion of us.
Do we have enough phosphorus
Onko meillä riittävästi fosforia
where do we find our phosphorus?
mistä löydämme fosforimme?
100 percent of a given dose of phosphorus.
Eighty-five percent is lost.
Hukkaan menee 85 prosenttia.
ending its journey in the lakes,
which leads to the blue algae problem.
something that is illogical.
but only 15 percent goes to the plant.
mutta vain 15 prosenttia menee kasville.
is that it is very expensive.
out the window,
that's what is happening here.
depends on phosphorus.
to the plant, all the rest is lost,
loppu menee hukkaan,
this phosphorus from?
of an extraordinary article
about the phosphorus crisis.
fosforikriisistä.
which is becoming increasingly scarce,
alkaa olla yhä suurempi pula,
Politicians and scientists are in agreement
poliitikot ja tiedemiehet myöntävät,
for a phosphorus crisis.
is an open-pit mine in the U.S.,
of the dimensions of this mine,
the little crane you can see,
we talk about global warming,
lämpenemisestä puhutaan,
the phosphorus crisis.
oil is something we can replace.
öljy voidaan korvata.
aurinkovoimaa,
but phosphorus is an essential element,
and we can’t replace it.
of the world's phosphorus reserves?
of where we are today.
for phosphorus reserves.
it will all be gone.
I’ll be retired by then.
jolloin olen eläkkeellä.
for a major crisis,
of this problem.
tämän ongelman.
We are faced with a paradox.
Vastassamme on paradoksi.
will be available.
yhdeksän miljardia,
the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization,
in 2050 than we do today.
ruokaa kuin nykyään.
but we'll need to produce more food.
mutta ruokaa on tuotettava enemmän.
or an alternative
phosphorus use?
that has existed for a very long time,
on ollut olemassa jo hyvin pitkään,
that is very mysterious,
mikroskooppisesta sienestä,
and yet also extremely complex.
mutta silti myös äärimmäisen monimutkaisesta.
for over 16 years now.
yli 16 vuoden ajan.
for my laboratory research.
with the roots.
and mutually beneficial association
ja molempia osapuolia hyödyttävää liittoa,
of a mycorrhiza.
all by itself.
which surrounds it.
the root is ineffective.
in its search for phosphorus.
microscopic mushroom.
mikroskooppinen sieni,
to seek out phosphorus.
etsimään fosforia.
the root’s one-millimeter scope
ulottuvuutta pidemmälle
for 450 million years.
450 miljoonan vuoden ajan.
has evolved and adapted to seek out
kehittynyt ja sopeutunut etsimään
and to put it to use,
in the real world, is a carrot root,
with its very fine filaments.
we can see that this mushroom
between the root's cells,
a typical arbuscular structure,
arbuskelityyppistä rakennetta,
the exchange interface
that mutual exchanges will occur.
molempia hyödyttävät vaihtokaupat.
I’m going to reduce it to 25 percent.
vain 25 prosenttia.
most will benefit the plant,
hyödyttää kasvia,
will remain in the soil.
we don't even need to add phosphorus.
fosforia ei tarvitse lisätä lainkaan.
I showed you earlier,
it is in insoluble form.
se on liukenemattomassa muodossa.
soluble forms.
liukenevia muotoja.
of dissolving this insoluble form
for the plant to use.
käyttökelpoiseen muotoon.
here is a picture that speaks for itself.
tässä on kuva, joka puhuu puolestaan.
in a field of sorghum.
produced using conventional agriculture,
tuotettu sato,
the dose was reduced to 50 percent,
annos vähennettiin 50 prosenttiin,
we achieved a better yield.
that this method works.
Mexico and India,
Meksikossa ja Intiassa
and in several other cases,
monissa muissa
any phosphorus at all,
and drawing it from the soil.
in Canada.
but not in the other.
and yellow a weaker yield.
ja keltainen heikompaa.
I have invented nothing.
en ole keksinyt mitään.
for 450 million years,
450 miljoonaa vuotta,
modern-day plant species to diversify.
monipuolistumista.
that is still undergoing lab tests.
käynnissä olevista laboratoriotesteistä.
and commercialized worldwide.
kaikkialla maailmassa.
that people are not aware of it.
tiedosta asiaa.
are still not aware of this problem.
tunne tätä ongelmaa.
will alleviate some of the pressure
on the world's phosphorus reserves.
I am a scientist and a dreamer.
what my retirement dream is,
that phosphorus peak,
"Made with mycorrhiza,"
"Tuotettu mykoritsalla",
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Mohamed Hijri - BiologistMohamed Hijri studies arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), seeking to understand the structure, evolution and reproduction of these organisms, which form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots.
Why you should listen
Mohamed Hijri is a professor of biology and a researcher at the plant biology research institute (l'Institut de recherche en biologie végétale) at the Université de Montréal. His work focuses on the most common and widespread symbiotic relationship on earth -- between plant roots and a type of fungi found in the soil called arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). These fungi improve plant growth by increasing roots' ability to absorb phosphorus, while also boosting resistance to pathogens.
As Hijri points out in his talk, the study of AMF and a deeper understanding of them could have big implications for agriculture and could help divert us from an impending crisis -- that we are quickly running out of phosphorus.
Mohamed Hijri | Speaker | TED.com