Nutrient impacts on plant secretions into soil

Soils are fundamental to life and are central to agricultural productivity. The secretion of high molecular weight glycans by plants and their impacts on soils and plant-soil interactions is a major under-explored area of study. This project will build on recent work that has identified that the profiles of glycans secreted by plants are altered in response to soil nutrient status and that nutrient depletion can result in up-regulation of the secretion of a specific glycan with potent soil particle aggregation properties. Soil aggregation is a key facet of soil health and stability, reducing erosion and soil nutrient loss while also promoting soil microbial communities and networks which may play an important part in future strategies for agricultural sustainability. Using extensive panels of sensitive molecular tools (monoclonal antibodies) for glycans the project will dissect how varying nutrient regimes influence the profiles of glycans released by a range of model plant species. This will include crop species such as wheat and also early diverging plant lineages that are crucial colonizers of poor or damaged soils. The project will develop a mechanistic understanding of how plants can influence soil structures and soil health.