J. Michael Rodriguez 16

SIUC biotechnologist David Lightfoot has been researching a project that soon may bring corn producers a $305-million income increase and lower-priced protein sources for consumers.

Lightfoot, an associate professor in plant and soil science, has found that corn he equipped with a nitrogen-loving gene, E-coli, not only makes better use of fertilizer, but produces more protein.

Advertisement

This has been a lifetime dream. I am very satisfied that I will soon accomplish this 16-year goal, said Lightfoot, a native of Yorkshire, England, who did his doctoral work at the University of Leeds. They (the Illinois Corn Marketing Board) couldn’t find any scientist that believed it would work. Through my theoretical experimentations, I knew it would work.

If the research pans out, Illinois corn producers could see their incomes rise by $305 million a year.

Lightfoot’s experiment will be in its next phase in fall 1998, when researchers have enough corn to do feeding studies. The feeding studies, funded by a $75,000 grant from the Illinois Corn Marketing Board and a $36,500 grant from the Council on Food and Agricultural Research, will show if Lightfoot’s corn contains enough protein to replace some of the protein supplement often given to livestock.

Philip Shane, market development director for the Illinois Corn Marketing Board, said the board was pleased when Lightfoot approached its members in 1984 the year the board began to fund Lightfoot’s research.

The original plan for the research was to create corn that would use nitrogen more efficiently. The goal was to address environmental concerns, Shane said. It was something that we wanted done, so it wasn’t a question of whether he could do it or not. We knew the project would take some years, it was a question of if he would devote the time.

Lightfoot has been with SIUC for the past six years teaching courses in plant and soil sciences. Lightfoot is at a slow period of researching but in the fall, he will be experimenting on almost a full-time basis.

Meanwhile, Shane is awaiting the results from Lightfoot’s 16 years of research.

Advertisement*

I hope farmers will get the most benefit out of this, Shane said. It’ll maintain the price of the commodity. Farmers will see environmental benefits by spending less money on chemicals and less money on nitrogen.

Richard Dado, an assistant professor of animal science and an SIUC animal nutritionist, is working with Lightfoot to determine how the corn is digested in the livestock.

That would be good, not only for corn growers, but for consumers who would benefit from lower-priced protein sources when they pay for their food, Dado stated in a press release.

Dado, who sits on a College of Agriculture committee that reviews grants requests, said they thought farmers and livestock owners could see great profits when he read Lightfoot’s report on his research.

Economic benefits to livestock owners could be 10 times greater than the pure agronomic benefits at least, based on my best guess, Dado stated.

If this research is successful, Lightfoot will not see any money made by it because SIUC owns the patent.

Lightfoot said it may be awhile before his dream breakthrough makes it to market.

Government regulations will prevent this from hitting the public anytime soon, he said.