Plants need nitrogen, and corn needs tons of it to produce yields that meet competing demands for food, forage and fuel.

Tom Greene, research director in trait discovery at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., is looking for a way to tame corn’s nitrogen appetite and maintain those high yields.

“Nitrogen is a key input cost and a key determinate of yield,” Greene said.

A Pioneer study of the effects of reduced levels of nitrogen on corn production found that over five years, a 30 percent reduction in application rates reduced yields 27 percent. Corn deprived of nitrogen staggered along at a 72 percent yield loss.

Greene is leading a crew of researchers who want to genetically modify corn to produce a hybrid that can tolerate a 30 percent reduction in nitrogen.

“We want to create opportunities to add value and create value (for our customers),” he said. “It is an important research area for us”

Chad Hart, an assistant professor of economics at Iowa State University who specializes in agriculture, said farmers spend about $70 an acre to apply nitrogen fertilizer to corn. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated that Iowa farmers will plant 13.9 acres of corn this year.

“If we talk about saving 20 bucks an acre, it starts to add up,” he said. “The environmental benefit would be huge as well. If you reduce nitrogen by 30 percent, that’s tremendous.”

Nitrogen fertilizer that washes off of farm fields is believed to deplete oxygen levels and create “dead zones” in oceans. The fertilizer also can increase soil acidity and reduce nutrients that are needed by corn and other crops.

“We try to take a broad look at the biology of corn and tap into areas of its biology that will improve nitrogen use,” Greene said.

Researchers are looking for genetic traits in corn and other plants that determine how they use nitrogen. For corn, the examination includes its root structure and ear development.

“We do try to holistically look at different parameters,” Greene said.

The research could begin to pay off early in the next decade with the identification of a gene that could be engineered to accept reduced levels of nitrogen. It could take two decades of testing and regulatory approval before such a crop would be brought to the marketplace.

“It’s a long journey,” Greene said.

The journey could alter the nature of agriculture.

“It is clearly a game changer if we can deliver the type of performance we are looking for,” Greene said. “It would be a benefit for the agricultural community and the environment.”