1m Research Accolade for Plant Biologist

A University of Nottingham plant biologist has won a highly prestigious £1 million research fellowship to help tackle one of the biggest challenges facing the planet… to provide an increasingly sustainable food supply for the world’s growing population.

Professor Malcolm Bennett from the University’s Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, and Biology Director for the Centre for Plant Integrative Biology, has been awarded the Professorial Fellowship from the Biotechnology
and Biological Sciences Research Council. The Fellowship, which runs for five years, allows internationally renowned researchers to concentrate exclusively on conducting world class research to tackle serious scientific
questions.

Professor Bennett’s research will concentrate on the architecture of plant roots which critically influences how crops absorb nutrients and water. The eventual aim is to breed ecofriendly agricultural crops which can thrive in both the developed and developing worlds. He said: “I am thrilled to receive this award which will allow us to press ahead with this original  and urgent research. Improving the root architecture of cereal crops will enable us to increase crop yields in a sustainable manner, and so help to address the global challenge of food security.”

Root architecture critically influences the efficiency of a plant to take up nutrients and water. The depths to which roots grow affects how efficiently they take up nitrogen and water from the soil, since nitrate leaches deep
into the ground. In contrast, phosphates accumulate nearer the surface, and the efficiency of their uptake could be significantly improved by manipulating the angle of root growth to better explore the top soil.

The BBSRC Professorial Fellowship research aims first to identify the genes that regulate root architecture in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, then use this information to manipulate equivalent genes in cereals, with the ultimate goal of altering their root architecture and improving nutrient take-up. The ambitious programme of research relies on a new X-ray based technique called Micro-CT which reveals in great detail the 3D
arrangement of living roots in soil. The scientists will use the Micro-CT technique to identify Arabidopsis mutants (which lack a specific gene) with an altered arrangement of roots. This will allow them to pinpoint exactly
which genes regulate root architecture.

Identifying equivalent genes in cereal crops is relatively straightforward since barley and rice are distantly related to Arabidopsis. Professor Bennett and his team will then use advanced genetic techniques to inactivate these barley and rice genes and then examine the effect this has on root architecture and nutrient use. Promising rice and barley lines will be made available to professional breeders at the International Rice Research Institute and Scottish Crop Research Institute with the ultimate aim of incorporating their modified root traits into elite crop varieties.

Professor Bennett’s Fellowship is one of 16 awards announced by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson, said: “The UK is already a world leader in biosciences research. These fellowships from BBSRC will help us maintain our lead and give some of our most outstanding bioscientists an extra boost. It is vital that we nurture scientists throughout their careers, as they will be essential to helping us tackle the major challenges we face.”