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The post HYDROGEN DRIVEN AGRICULTURE – DELIVERED BY WATER first appeared on Hydrogen Technologies.

Jim Wilson – Director – Founder

Hydrogen is a major constituent of any life form and represents more than three of every five atoms in animal species, and just under half of all the atoms in plants. Hydrogen, both its protons and electrons, appears to not only enable, but also optimise energy production by the mitochondria. The significance of Hydr-Oxygen in biology cannot be underestimated as it is part of the very first step in mitochondrial function as well as the last, be it part of a proton pump, the transfer of electrons, and the completion of redox balance and homeostasis.

While the global hydrogen focus seems to be around energy production to power our transport and service needs, we believe the big story is its relevance to biology and its role in all living things. The total value of the hydrogen energy sector (an estimated 8 trillion dollars) pales compared to the 100 trillion dollars plus estimate when considering the relevance associated with the hydrogen biology sector. The significance and diversity of this must not be underestimated. The use of hydrogen and oxygen supplementation will define improvements in food production and health for the next hundred years.

It was first suggested with humour in Nature (1996) as a natural antioxidant and selective scavenger of oxygen free radicals to treat oxidative stress. More recently, it has been broadly indicated that molecular Hydrogen exerts its biological effects in two major ways. The first one is scavenging free radicals, and the other is modulating specific gene expression or signalling pathways, both in animals and plants. Molecular Hydrogen has been demonstrated to induce change in gene expression leading to anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic responses in all organisms tested without any detrimental side effects. Thus, molecular Hydrogen enables the organism to reduce and withstand stress longer and better while thriving.

However, the latest discovery takes this even further and indicates that it is at the core of multicellular life that is positively affected. Molecular hydrogen could be donating electrons in the Q chamber of complex I to the ubiquinone, thereby shortening the electron transfer chain in complex I. Consequently, the production of superoxide radicals by this complex decreases while the proton pump activity is maintained. Molecular hydrogen, both the protons and electrons, supplemented to the mitochondria and complex I, ultimately results in a proton gradient increase, and the increased proton gradient generated will result in an increased production of ATP.

The mitochondrion is the main source of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) and is an essential organelle of plants, animals and fungi that divide independently from the cells, and have their own genome. Their primary function is to provide energy to the cell in the form of ATP using oxygen by a process called cellular respiration. In addition, mitochondria are also involved in other critical tasks, such as signalling, maintaining control of the cell cycle, cell growth, cellular differentiation, and even cell death. There are an estimated 37.2 trillion cells in the body, and each cell contains between 2 and 2500 mitochondria, each possessing a 17000 ATP assembly line. It is estimated that there are about 10 million billion (10,000 trillion) mitochondria in an adult human, for example!

Molecular hydrogen supplementation can increase mitochondrial ATP production by more than 50% while decreasing the production of superoxide by the first respiratory complex. The ability to increase the production of ATP while reducing the production of reactive oxygen species, thus reducing the need to repair the damage they cause, represents an advancement in biology that could not be more relevant in today’s world with peer-reviewed scientific documents now running into the thousands. Taken collectively, they clearly identify that hydrogen deficiency in biological organisms, costs the world well over 100 trillion dollars in lost income every year. It underpins the health potential and lifespan of all things, and ultimately our entire biosphere (including its climate) as we know it.

The enormous potential that Molecular Hydrogen and Oxygen supplementation has identified to affect and determine outcomes for includes:

• Mitochondrial Function
• The increased production of ATP
• Oxidative Stress and its management
• Immune Cell Recovery
• Inflammation and inflammatory Response
• NF-kB Protein Complex

At this level, the vast majority of life all works the same way, and it is in the mitochondrion where we find the critical function of life independent of species.

Mitochondrial Function

The mitochondrion is an essential organelle of plants, animals and fungi that divide independently from the cells, and have their own genome. Their primary function is to provide energy to the cell in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) using oxygen by a process called cellular respiration. In addition to supplying cellular energy, mitochondria are involved in other tasks, such as signalling, cellular differentiation, maintaining control of the cell cycle, and cell death. Cellular respiration is a catabolic pathway that breaks down glucose and other molecules to produce ATP ultimately. The stages of cellular respiration include glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, the citric acid or Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation that uses oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor. However, the process is very complex and sensitive and is at the origin of the accidental production of reactive oxygen species. Thus, the mitochondrion is also the centre of oxidative stress where the most potent free radical, the hydroxyl radical, is produced.

It has been shown that Hydrogen gas could scavenge the hydroxyl radical in live cells resulting in a decrease of oxidative stress in vivo, furthermore, it is demonstrated that H2 supplementation suppressed superoxide production by complex I. It is proposed that H2 could donate electrons in the Q chamber which identifies that Complex I could be using H2 directly to enable the pumping of protons from the matrix to the intermembrane space, increasing the potential ATP production without using substrate originating from the degradation of glucose, with suggestion that an increase of more than 50% in ATP production can be achieved in the presence of H2 compared to control.

Oxidative Stress

Oxidative Stress refers to elevated intracellular levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that cause damage to lipids, proteins and DNA. Oxidative stress results from an imbalance of ROS and antioxidants in a living organism, such as alpha-lipoic acid, glutathione and hydrogen. Oxidative stress occurs naturally as the result of the normal function of the organism but can also be potentiated by environmental and pathological pressures while also playing a direct role in the ageing process. Reactive oxygen species are molecules that “want” to capture electrons from others to stabilise themselves. Because they are highly reactive, they will steal electrons from any source close to them, such as proteins and DNA, which damages the stability and function of the donating molecule. The primary cellular source of ROS is the mitochondria. In response to this, antioxidants are molecules that can donate electrons without becoming reactive themselves. Antioxidants stop the oxidation pathway by “reducing” the oxidant, and preventing damage.

One such powerful antioxidant that can passively diffuse through the living body (or plant) at great speed is molecular Hydrogen. Furthermore, organisms produce the enzymes Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Catalase, which catalyse the safe conversion of superoxide into molecular oxygen and oxygen peroxide. At the same time, the catalase converts hydrogen peroxide into water and molecular oxygen. Interestingly, exposure to hydrogen increases the activity of both enzymes significantly, further potentiating the antioxidant system.

Inflammation

Inflammation is a generic response of body tissue following damage to cells or the detection of potential damaging effectors. Both infectious and non-infectious agents, as well as cellular injury, can activate an inflammatory response. The response is generic because it doesn’t distinguish between the possible causes. The inflammatory response removes harmful stimuli and initiates the healing process while involving immune and circulatory systems. However, it is a balancing act that can go awry. Molecular Hydrogen supplementation acts against inflammation in two synergistic ways. The first is associated with oxidative stress, which can initiate or sustain an inflammatory response. Since Molecular Hydrogen is a powerful antioxidant, it suppresses the oxidative stress signal and reduces the risk of unnecessarily triggering or over sustaining an inflammatory response. And second, all pathways to inflammation pass through the activation of the NF-kB pathway. Molecular hydrogen dampens the NF-kB pathway, directly avoiding a highly detrimental runaway inflammatory response.

NF-kB

NF-kB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) is a protein complex that controls transcription of DNA, cytokine production and cell survival. NF-κB is found in almost all animal cell types and is involved in cellular responses to stimuli such as stress, cytokines, free radicals, heavy metals, ultraviolet irradiation and bacterial or viral antigens. It also plays a crucial role in regulating the immune response to infection. Thus, incorrect regulation of NF-κB is linked to many challenges such as inflammatory and autoimmune responses, sepsis, viral infection, and improper immune development. Although the inflammatory response is essential, it can become self-sustaining and become a problem as inflammation causes oxidative stress, and oxidative stress causes inflammation.

Immune Cells

Long-lasting immune challenges result in abnormally high exhaustion rates of immune cells that ultimately lead to their death. Recently, it has been demonstrated that immune cell exhaustion was caused by mitochondrial dysfunction associated with increased reactive oxygen species, such as the hydroxyl radical and superoxide. Immune cell exhaustion is linked to a decrease in mitophagy and an accumulation of dysfunctional depolarised mitochondria. Yet again, we see that supplementation with molecular hydrogen maintains or helps restore the mitochondrial inner membrane polarisation by enabling proton pumping in complex I while decreasing ROS production by the same complex and increasing ATP production. Furthermore, molecular hydrogen supplementation promotes the expression of superoxide dismutase and catalase, further reducing the ROS level and upregulating the PINK1/parkin pathway that enables mitophagy.

The Beneficial Action of Molecular Hydrogen

Since 2007, around 2,000 research papers have demonstrated that Molecular Hydrogen has both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects throughout a broad range of biological applications and species. Molecular Hydrogen acts as a powerful antioxidant in biological systems both directly and indirectly. Directly by scavenging some Reactive Oxygen Species, and indirectly by boosting natural antioxidant systems. Molecular Hydrogen dampens the NF-kB pathway in normal cells, helping to bring about healing by decreasing inflammation. Hydrogen atoms generally represent 62% of all the atoms in terrestrial bodies. That’s more than 3 out of every 5.

• Molecular Hydrogen improves the normal functioning of the mitochondria.
• Molecular Hydrogen is nature’s own potent anti-oxidant.
• Molecular Hydrogen manages oxidative stress.
• Molecular Hydrogen acts as an anti-inflammatory.
• Molecular Hydrogen decreases proinflammatory cytokines.
• Molecular Hydrogen regulates the action of the NF-kB transcription factor.
• Reactivation of exhausted immune cells

Our entire planet awaits the biological benefit potential of molecular hydrogen and Oxygen supplementation on what will be a grand scale. In poultry, fish, animals, etc… Molecular Hydrogen has been shown to significantly improve mitochondrial function, ATP production, the immune response, decrease oxidative stress, reduce and manage inflammation, considerably improve growth rate, and enhance disease resistance capabilities.

Hydrogen supplementation can improve livestock health, growth rate, and feed conversion ratio such as poultry. A 10-15% increase in weight can be achieved along with an improvement in meat quality while decreasing stimulant and biotic intervention. In aquatic species, increased yields of 30-40% are seen as growth rates rise and mortality decreases. In plants, treatment with hydrogen-enriched water increases yield, salt and heavy metal resilience, flowering potential and fruit set. An increase in H2 in the rhizosphere led to beneficial impacts for subsequent plant growth resulting in a 15–48% biomass increase in plants and termed a hydrogen fertilisation effect. It represents a low-cost solution to improve the nutritional content and enhance production under abiotic stresses, such as drought and salinity, throughout all agricultural endeavours.

We believe that the biological relevance of Molecular Hydrogen represents the single most important technology on the planet today. The progression towards this technology is inevitable, and in these very challenging times, the need is pressing and relevant for all governments the world over.

Hydrogen and oxygen have been intrinsically involved with the evolution of life in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes (e.g. hydrogenases, hydrogenosomes, mitochondria, etc.), and we are at the leading edge of a new understanding of biology. A common theme has already emerged: the supplementation of Molecular Hydrogen into biological systems has a complementary beneficial effect on the entire system. As you can see, there is a vast range of options and potentials that could benefit us all in both the long and short term.

Regardless of what we do or do not do, hydrogen will still be at the core of life itself, and no matter what path any of us take, hydrogen, by count, will remain the single most significant piece of any biological puzzle. From little things – big things come.

Please contact us, we would love to hear your thoughts.

The post Hydrogen – At the Core of Life first appeared on Hydrogen Technologies.

As we all know, there is always much more going on than is obvious, and there are many details that affect, distort, obscure or completely change a result when looking for the answer. For an answer to actually be correct, every detail along the information pathway of investigation must also be correct and/or consistent. Replicating nature is always going to be difficult due to the enormous diversity and complexity associated with the commensal and symbiotic relationships at play that all add up to the raw ingredients and the ultimate atomic recipe list that makes things what they are. Changing one thing will ultimately change another, and a consequence is assured. Life itself predominantly exists around the “Big 4” pieces of the puzzle, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon and Nitrogen with of course the many mineral trace elements that complete these recipes. Here we expose the importance of commensal relationships of different organisms that accumulate and combine, allowing for multiple outcomes to be achieved for metabolic efficiency, improved strength, increased biomass, disease resistance, carbon sequestration capability, environmental and oxidative stress tolerance amongst others.

Legumes, Bacteria and Hydrogen Uptake

It is well known in agricultural circles that crop rotation with legumes brings benefit to the subsequent crop. For a long time, these benefits have been attributed to the capacity of legumes to fix atmospheric nitrogen and thus enrich the soil in this essential element for plant growth. However, this restrictive view has been challenged in recent years. To understand why we need to know how legumes extract nitrogen from the atmosphere.

Legumes can form commensal relationships with specific bacteria that live in the soil through the formation of root nodules colonised by these bacteria. These bacteria, such as species of Rhizobium or Bradyrhizobium, can fix atmospheric nitrogen using their nitrogenase enzymatic system and provide the resulting nitrate (NH3) to the plant in exchange for carbohydrates. An obligate by-product of nitrogenase fixation of atmospheric nitrogen is hydrogen gas (H2). Some commensal bacteria can oxidise Hydrogen to produce water and ATP using endogen hydrogenase. The ones that can oxidise Hydrogen are called Hup+ (Hydrogen uptake positive). In contrast, the others that are not able to are called Hup- (Hydrogen uptake negative). From an energetic point of view, Hup+ commensals are more energetically efficient since they produce ATP and thus should provide more benefit to the plant in terms of cost benefits. If that was the case, Hup+ commensal should be favoured by legumes, and Hup- commensal should be the exception.

Unsurprisingly, this has been the admitted wisdom for some time. However, in a survey of the commensal association of wild legume in Nova Scotia, Annan et al. (2012) ¹ found that out of the 18 species sampled, only two possessed Hup+ nodules, a remarkable minority. Moreover, many if not most of the rhizobium-legume symbioses found in nature, especially those used in agriculture, are Hup-. These plants release H2 into the surrounding rhizosphere. Surprisingly, this Hydrogen is not lost to the atmosphere and disappears within 4 cm of the nodules.

The Benefits of Hydrogen in the Soil

Dong and Layzell (2001)² demonstrated that after 8-days of H2 treatment, soils started to consume H2, and resulted in a fivefold increase in soil O2 consumption and a net fixation of atmospheric CO2. In other words, H2 treatment of the soil resulted in an enrichment of the soil through the development of aerobic microorganisms. Soil enriched with Hydrogen proved to be beneficial to plant growth.

Maimaiti et al. (2007)³ isolated the bacteria responsible for H2 uptake with plant growth-promoting properties in both H2 treated soil and soil adjacent to Hup- nodules. The isolated bacteria were Variovorax paradoxus (formerly Alcaligenes). Most importantly, the isolate by themselves could significantly increase the primary root length of spring seedlings by 57-254% and increase plant growth by 11-27%. Surprisingly the benefit of Hydrogen exposure to plants is not all mediated by the growth of beneficial bacteria but also directly at the cellular level by scavenging Reactive oxygen species such as the hydroxy radical.

Environmental Stress and Reactive Oxygen Species

Research shows that abiotic stress in plants results in increased oxidative stress. For example, it can stunt growth resulting from mercury exposure (Cui et al., 2014)⁴, cadmium exposure (Cui et al., 2013)⁵, or aluminium exposure (Chen et al., 2014)⁶ is due to increased oxidative stress. The use of hydrogen-rich water alleviated the stunted growth in alfalfa exposed to mercury, cadmium or aluminium. The same is true for the Chinese cabbage exposed to cadmium⁷. In all cases, it also translated into a decrease in the bioaccumulation of these metals in the plant.

Salt stress, excessive UV exposure, or drought also translate into increased plant oxidative stress, thus detrimental to plant growth. And once again, the use of hydrogen-rich water alleviates the detrimental consequences on plant growth and germination (Xu et al., 2013; Xie et al. 2012, 2015; Yang et al. 2020; Fu et al., 2020)^8–12.

Hydrogen in the Field

Gaseous treatment of soil in the field, although impractical, has shown an increase of wheat yield in Australia of 10 to 31%, 18% on average (CSIRO Project CSP00050, 2007), and up to 16% for barley in Canada (Dong et al., 2003)¹³. However, it is now possible to provide Hydrogen and Oxygen-rich water using nanobubble infusion devices plugged in the existing irrigation infrastructure coupled to an on-demand Oxy-Hydrogen generator, such as those developed by Hydrogen Technologies here in Australia.

Why Oxy-Hydrogen and not just Hydrogen

The benefits of well-oxygenated soils are already well known. First, soil microorganisms that favour plant growth are aerobic, invertebrates that help avoid soil compaction, such as earthworms, need oxygen, and it is also the same for plant roots. In fact, oxygen-rich water promotes root growth. Second, the more oxygen in the soil, the less anaerobic process are likely such as denitrification. Denitrification is a process that impoverishes the soil and thus rob the grower of the needed benefits of nitrate on plant growth.

Moreover, Hydrogen promotes the development of aerobic bacteria with plant growth-promoting quality similar to legumes rotation. Of which one documented benefit is enabling access to much-needed phosphorus by the crop. Hydrogen supplementation also helps crops overcome abiotic stress allowing them to be productive with a yield increase of between 10 and 31%. Thus providing both gasses will improve soil and crop life synergistically.

The word “hydroxygen” is derived from the gaseous form of water, H2O. Two parts Hydrogen, one part oxygen (66.66% hydrogen – 33.33% oxygen of atomic count). Water becomes the delivery medium whereby the biologically available gasses of hydrogen and oxygen can be delivered to an environment where an organism benefits. When these gasses are infused into the water at nano scale, they defy buoyancy and suspend in the medium. This then allows deep penetration of the soil as the moisture is absorbed which ultimately changes the environment within that soil to favour aerobic life in all its biodiversity and benefit. This changes the game and a new world beckons; for all manner of species, in all manner of applications.

Contact Us / Work with Us

The Hydrogen Technologies on demand oxy-hydrogen generator coupled with our world-leading nanobubble infuser can plug into any existing irrigation system enabling an evolutionary advancement in Agriculture for all of us. We are keen to engage with both industry partners as well as collaborative research institutes and scientists to further the science and practical application and benefits of hydrogen and oxygen enriched irrigation waters around the world.

It is clear that these core biological understandings represent trillions of dollars of potential to increase food production around the world, to improve, regenerate and recultivate damaged soils and farmlands the world over, and to also sequester carbon from the atmosphere on what will be a massive scale and a globally significant advancement.

Please contact us and start a conversation towards a highly productive collaboration and sustainable shift without side effect or detriment. Just how nature intended, clean, natural, and beneficial for all.

References

1. Annan, H., Golding, A.-L., Zhao, Y. & Dong, Z. Choice of hydrogen uptake (Hup) status in legume-rhizobia symbioses. Ecol Evol 2, 2285–2290 (2012).
2. Dong, Z. & Layzell, D. B. H2 oxidation, O2 uptake and CO2 fixation in hydrogen treated soils. Plant Soil 229, 1–12 (2001).
3. Maimaiti, J. et al. Isolation and characterization of hydrogen‐oxidizing bacteria induced following exposure of soil to hydrogen gas and their impact on plant growth. Environ Microbiol 9, 435–444 (2007).
4. Cui, W. et al. Hydrogen-rich water confers plant tolerance to mercury toxicity in alfalfa seedlings. Ecotox Environ Safe 105, 103–111 (2014).
5. Cui, W., Gao, C., Fang, P., Lin, G. & Shen, W. Alleviation of cadmium toxicity in Medicago sativa by hydrogen-rich water. J Hazard Mater 260, 715–724 (2013).
6. Chen, M. et al. Hydrogen-rich water alleviates aluminum-induced inhibition of root elongation in alfalfa via decreasing nitric oxide production. J Hazard Mater 267, 40–47 (2014).
7. Wu, Q., Su, N., Cai, J., Shen, Z. & Cui, J. Hydrogen-rich water enhances cadmium tolerance in Chinese cabbage by reducing cadmium uptake and increasing antioxidant capacities. J Plant Physiol 175, 174–182 (2015).
8. Xie, Y., Mao, Y., Lai, D., Zhang, W. & Shen, W. H2 Enhances Arabidopsis Salt Tolerance by Manipulating ZAT10/12-Mediated Antioxidant Defence and Controlling Sodium Exclusion. Plos One 7, e49800 (2012).
9. Xie, Y. et al. Hydrogen-rich water-alleviated ultraviolet-B-triggered oxidative damage is partially associated with the manipulation of the metabolism of (iso)flavonoids and antioxidant defence in Medicago sativa. Funct Plant Biol 42, 1141–1157 (2015).
10. Xu, S. et al. Hydrogen-rich water alleviates salt stress in rice during seed germination. Plant Soil 370, 47–57 (2013).
11. Fu, X. et al. Hydrogen rich water (HRW) induces plant growth and physiological attributes in fragrant rice varieties under salt stress. (2020) doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-21074/v1.
12. Yang, L., Tian, J., Zhu, M., Yu, B. & Sun, Y. Hydrogen-Rich Water Improvement of Root Growth in Maize Exposed to Saline Stress. (2020) doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-101510/v1.
13. DONG, Z., WU, L., KETTLEWELL, B., CALDWELL, C. D. & LAYZELL, D. B. Hydrogen fertilization of soils – is this a benefit of legumes in rotation? Plant Cell Environ 26, 1875–1879 (2003).

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