Feasting on protein? Strategies of organic nitrogen acquisition by plant roots

农作物生长需要大量的氮素。氮肥的应用提高了产量，但会造成场外氮污染，这是对生态系统完整性的主要威胁。土壤中的大部分氮以有机复合体的形式存在，这些有机复合体被土壤有机体分解成小的化合物，这些化合物要么扎根，要么从土壤中消失。该项目将产生关于澳大利亚物种和具有特殊根系的作物物种如何获取土壤有机氮的基础知识，从而提高氮素利用效率并减少氮素损失。这项研究使用了尖端技术来实现资源的可持续利用，提高作物和耕作系统的效率，并保护澳大利亚的生物多样性。

Crops require large amounts of nitrogen for growth. Application of nitrogen fertiliser enhances yield, but causes off-site nitrogen pollution, a main threat to ecosystem integrity. Most nitrogen in soil occurs as organic complexes that are broken down by soil organism into small compounds, which are taken up roots or lost from the soil. This project will generate fundamental knowledge of how an Australian species and a crop species with unusual root specialisations access soil organic nitrogen, thus increasing the efficiency of nitrogen use and reducing nitrogen loss. The research employs cutting-edge techniques for sustainable resource use, improved efficiency of crops and farming systems, and preservation of Australia's biodiversity.