description
- Theme: Agriculture and Food Security Investigating arbuscular mycorrhiza and its application in winter wheat, specifically focusing on varieties commonly used in the UK, or used as parental stock for modern elite varieties. Arbuscular mycorrhiza are a symbiotic fungi which have the potential to reduce the environmental impact of wheat production, reducing the need for artificial fertilisers, whilst maintaining yields. The symbiotic interaction benefits also include improved pathogen resistance and improved tolerance of saline conditions. Following establishing of a standard protocol, a number of varieties will be tested in controlled conditions to determine how the different varieties respond to mycorrhizal colonisation and whether they have the potential to improve agricultural yields. This was to be conducted alongside a genetic investigation into the control of the symbiosis from the plant perspective, in order to investigate how the symbiosis is controlled, and how similar it is to other plants species known to form the same symbiosis.