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MicrobeSoil

Prof. Liz WellingtonProf. David Scanlan

Dr Gary Bending Dr Alex Jones

Dr Jonathan MooreDr Ian Lidbury

Andrew MurphyChristopher Hale

Prof. Mark TibbettDr Tandra Fraser

Plant

Dr John HammondDr Andrew Goodall

PHOSPHORUS CYCLING IN THE SOIL-MICROBE-PLANT CONTINUUM

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Fertiliser P

Soil P

Organic/microbial P

Non labile Soil P Labile P

Investigating phosphate cycling in agricultural soils

Plant driven processes

Microbial driven processes

How do these processes interact?

Which microbes are driving this process?

How do these processes change during the season?

Can we reduce inputs, by improving below ground processes?

Can we manipulate the root to optimise the cycling of phosphorus?

• Plants response to P depletion?

• Is there a difference between expressed genes and actively translated genes?

• Are genes “primed” for expression in response to stress?

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Abun

danc

e (%

NSA

F)

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%

PHOSPHORUS CYCLING IN THE SOIL-MICROBE-PLANT CONTINUUM

Table 1. Concentrations (mg/kg) of phosphorus forms and their percentages (in parentheses) of NaOH-EDTA extractable total P as detected by 31P NMR.

Sample Ortho-P Monoesters Diesters Pyrophosphate Total P

A 287 (80) 71 (20) 0 0 358B 262 (77) 77 (23) 0 0 339C 249 (70) 70 (22) 0 0 317

Tandra Fraser (Mark Tibbett), Phosphorus Cycling, University of Reading

Phosphorus biochemistry in the rhizosphere

• NaOH-EDTA extracts• 31P NMR analysis• P- soil