Nitrogen (N) is arguably the most important nutrient for plant growth; addition of Nitrogen (N) based fertilizer maximizes crop productivity and was largely the reason many countries achieved food security during the green revolution. Nevertheless, the United Nations Environmental Program in their report "Frontiers 2018/19: Emerging Issues of Environmental Concern" declared Nitrogen overuse to be one of five emerging threats to the planet. N-fertilizers are produced by the Haber-Bosch process which require environmentally detrimental fossil fuels that are an added expense to farmers.

 

Our research seeks to find solutions that help mitigate problems of excess N-fertilizer use in agriculture while retaining all the benefits of Nitrogen availability for plant productivity. We use molecular genetics tools in the model legume Medicago truncatula to understand the process of biological Nitrogen Fixation wherein Legumes enter into relationships with symbiotic bacteria and 'fix' their own Nitrogen. We are interested in fundamental signaling pathways that underlie legume-microbe interactions and N-acquisition, particularly downstream of plant peptide hormones.