Plant Symbiosis Research Team

Outline

Nitrogen is the most heavily used fertilizer in present agriculture. Its production and use however damage the ecosystem due to the emission of greenhouse gases. Soil bacteria called rhizobia infect legume roots, and fix atmospheric nitrogen in root nodules. Consequently, if cereals such as rice, corn, and wheat could establish symbiosis with rhizobia, we can dramatically reduce the use of nitrogen fertilizer, which would result in ecosystem-friendly, sustainable agriculture. In order to achieve our goals, we aim to confer the ability to fix nitrogen on cereals, by elucidating molecular functions of root nodule symbiosis, as well as by investigating evolutionary aspects of the legume-rhizobia symbiosis.

Subjects

1. Elucidation of molecular mechanisms in nodulation
2. Identification of molecular components in infection by rhizobia
3. Application of root nodule symbiosis to cereals