Secrets of soil-enriching pulses could transform future of sustainable agriculture
Pulses, the edible dry seeds of legume plants, are staple foods in the diets of both people and livestock around the world.
- Pulses, the edible dry seeds of legume plants, are staple foods in the diets of both people and livestock around the world.
- High in protein, carbohydrates, dietary fibres, vitamins and minerals, pulses play a fundamental role in nutritious healthy diets.
- Pulses can also be stored for extended periods without affecting their nutritional content.
The magic inside root nodules
- Some 100 million years ago, legumes developed the natural ability to house beneficial bacteria inside dedicated structures called root nodules.
- With that knowledge, we hope to find ways to increase the efficiency of nitrogen fixation inside the root nodules and maximise the growth and yield of legume crops.
Beneficial bacteria
- My research group is investigating how legumes can engage with beneficial bacteria and avoid disease-causing microbes.
- While bacteria like the rhizobia in these root nodules help plants source nutrients, other soil microbes including bacteria and fungi could cause disease and prevent plants from converting as much nitrogen.
- So the plant must have a defence mechanism that keeps disease-causing microbes at bay.
- This may also prevent it from fully engaging with beneficial bacteria.
Sebastian Schornack receives funding from Bill and Melinda Gates Agricultural Innovations. He is also listed as an inventor on a patent filed by the University of Cambridge on a gene that seems to limit nitrogen fixation.