Dr John Hammond’s team will use a variety of approaches to better understand the role plants and microbes living in the rhizosphere play in making phosphorus available for plant growth, and how these roles change during plant development under field and laboratory conditions.  This research is funded under the BBSRC-NERC GFS-SARISA programme.

The microbes in the rhizosphere rely on carbon from the plant for growth. Under laboratory conditions the team will study plants that release different amounts of carbon into the rhizosphere and investigate the effects on the rhizosphere microbial community and the amount of phosphorus available for plant growth.

New opportunities for breeding crops that are more efficient at acquiring phosphorus may be possible, together with potential biotechnological applications for microbes and enzymes.

A Post-Doctoral Research Assistant post associated with this project is available, closing date 7th November 2014.