Broccoli is high in vitamins and dietary fiber and rich in sulforaphane, a compound associated with reduced risk of breast cancer. Researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, VA, collaborated with ARS on the soybean mulch-broccoli studies. The test has been adopted by Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. The same kinds of natural proteins that regulate human hormone secretion and blood vessel constriction also have a hand in determining how much nitrogen fertilizer crops can use, ARS researchers have discovered. These proteins, called 14.3.3 proteins, represent an important on-off switch in plants.
Plants contain an enzyme called nitrate reductase.
This enzyme can turn fertilizer's nitrate into nitrite. During daylight hours, the plant uses the sun's energy to convert the nitrite into amino acids the plant needs for survival. But at night, without the energy source, the nitrite can accumulate in the plant and kill it. If researchers can find a way to manipulate this natural process, they could alter plant metabolism to boost crop yields on nutrient-poor soil.