Microbiome interactions (Theme 3)

Lead investigator: Dr Hang-Wei Hu

Team: Prof. Jim He, Prof. Deli Chen, Prof. Ute Roessner, Prof. Caixian Tang, Dr Zahra Islam, Dr Sneha Gupta, &  Dr Tharanga Bandara.

This theme will optimise fertiliser design  based on new insights into plant-soil-microbiome interactions in relation to root exudation.  It will identify how the plant-soil-microbiome interactions influence the root physiology and signaling molecules for nitrogen acquisition for selected crops under varying abiotic conditions. This will involve evaluating the interactions of new chemical and biological fertilisers with plant roots and soil microbiomes and testing their efficacy on plant performance.  This theme will develop an innovative system-based guideline to maximise the efficiency of new chemical and biological fertilisers.

This team will work with Theme 1 – Fertilisers with engineered coatings – to advise on the requirements for fertilizer coatings, and with Theme 2 – Urease and nitrification inhibitors  – to evaluate microbial responses to newly developed inhibitors.

See more information in our Theme 3 fact sheet