Novel Biofertiliser for Sustainable Agriculture: Tackling Phosphorus Crisis

磷肥短缺和价格上涨对全球粮食安全构成重大威胁。我们发现了一种新的共生关系，在这种共生关系中，土生真菌西Austroboletus occidentalis通过利用土壤残磷库显著改善作物的磷营养。该项目旨在1)描述这种新型生物肥料对主要粮食和生物燃料作物的生长和营养效益，2)探索其其他潜在效益和配方，3)进行多年的田间试验，以量化这种生物肥料对粮食产量的效益。预期的结果将为这种生物肥料的广泛应用铺平道路，从而减少合成磷肥的使用，增强粮食安全和环境可持续性。

Shortage and rising prices of phosphorus (P) fertilisers pose major threats to global food security. We discovered a novel symbiosis in which the native fungus Austroboletus occidentalis significantly improves P nutrition of crops by tapping into soil residual P bank. This project aims to i) characterise growth and nutritional benefits of this new biofertiliser for major food and biofuel crops, ii) explore its other potential benefits and formulations, and iii) conduct multi-year field trials to quantify grain yield benefits of the biofertiliser. Expected outcomes would pave the way for broadacre application of this biofertiliser, leading to reduced use of synthetic P fertilisers, enhanced food security and environmental sustainability.