HUST-UEVE-UPSaclay

Can we still access sufficient and nutritious food today?

A United Nations survey indicates that in 2024, approximately 673 million people worldwide will be struggling on the brink of hunger. Moderate or severe food insecurity affects up to 2.3 billion people globally. Nearly one-third of the world's population lacks access to adequate, safe, and nutritious food. 25% of the world's land has degraded, with approximately 24 billion tonnes of topsoil lost annually. Our team has observed that contemporary agricultural production faces two primary challenges: nematode damage impeding nitrogen uptake and the predicament of nitrogen fertiliser utilisation. Legume roots are particularly susceptible to nematode feeding, which directly reduces their efficiency in absorbing nitrogen. Traditional agriculture relies on nitrogen fertilisers to counteract declining soil nitrogen levels, yet excessive application leads to soil fertility depletion and environmental issues such as water eutrophication, creating a vicious cycle.

What is the ROBIN system?

It is an effective, sustainable system for protecting the roots of leguminous plants. We employ engineered bacteria expressing luteolin to enhance the association between rhizobia and legumes. Concurrently, engineered bacteria expressing the insecticidal Cry fusion protein from Bacillus thuringiensis eliminate nematodes, reducing root damage and promoting efficient rhizobium-legume symbiosis. We innovatively incorporate a cre-loxP switch system, utilising phage to regulate bacterial expression and death, ensuring biosafety.

Unique advantages of ROBIN system

1.Sustainability:Compared to traditional methods reliant on external nitrogen fertiliser application, the ROBIN system enhances legume nitrogen uptake efficiency through continuous nitrogen fixation by engineered bacteria. This system not only provides long-term, stable nitrogen supply in the plant rhizosphere, reducing dependence on chemical fertilisers, but also offers a self-sustaining biological solution for legume nitrogen fixation.
2.Biological Friendliness:The Cry fusion protein expressed by the system specifically targets root-knot nematodes, achieving highly effective control while avoiding harm to non-target organisms in the soil. Compared to the application of broad-spectrum chemical insecticides, the ROBIN system significantly reduces disruption to the soil microbiome, thereby helping to maintain in situ biodiversity and ecological balance.
3.Environmentally friendly:The ROBIN system eliminates residual chemical pesticides in soil and prevents secondary pollution caused by their migration through water cycles. Furthermore, by partially replacing chemical nitrogen fertilisers, it mitigates water eutrophication resulting from excessive nitrogen application, thereby reducing potential ecological pressures at the agricultural source.

Why we use the name ROBIN

"ROBIN" stands for "Rhizobium Optimization and Biological Inhibition of Nematode" in its core full form, which precisely defines the technical direction. Meanwhile, it also carries the warm imagery of a "robin" — in the natural ecosystem, the robin is regarded as a "natural guardian" of plants. By preying on pests that feed on plants, it builds an invisible barrier for plant growth.
This, in turn, highly aligns with the vision of our HUST-UEVE-UPSaclay team. We aspire to follow the example of the robin: through dedicated exploration and solid actions, we will transform the technical concept of "Rhizobium Optimization and Biological Inhibition of Nematode" into practical strength, and become a reliable "guardian" in the process of agricultural ecology and plant growth.

Outlook for Our Project

We plan to optimise engineered bacteria expression of luteolin and Cry proteins for more precise adaptation to diverse legume varieties. Concurrently, we will explore our unique system's adaptations and applications to contribute towards eradicating global hunger and advancing sustainable development.