PhD Scholarship on Symbiotic Growth Depressions in Bioenergy and Forage Crops, Denmark

December 16, 2010

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The project is funded by The Danish Council for Independent Research | Technology and Production Sciences and involves collaborators in Denmark, Australia and USA

Study Subject: plant biology
Employer: Technical University of Denmark
Level: PhD
Scholarship Description: Growth depressions caused by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are frequently observed in cereals and other grasses in mesocosms and may result in ‘hidden’ yield losses in the field. Such growth depressions are usually assigned to carbon drain by the fungi but this is poorly supported by experimental evidence. This project shall test the new hypothesis that AMF-colonised plants become P limited due to impaired function of direct P uptake at the root surface. The project shall also investigate methods to mitigate this assumed loss-of-efficiency in P uptake. Two crop plants with contrasting patterns of mycorrhizal growth response, ryegrass and lucerne, will be studied in parallel with the sequenced model plants, Brachypodium distachyon and Medicago truncatula.

Your PhD project will focus on Brachypodium-related parts of the project:

* Physiological characterisation of P uptake via two pathways (direct and AMF-mediated) in Brachypodium distachyon grown at ambient and elevated CO2
* Isolation and expression analysis of Pi transporter genes and miRNAs in AMF-colonised plants and their relationship to plant P uptake in Brachypodium model and Lolium perenne crop plants
* Transformation of B. distachyon with a subset of selected candidate genes using Agrobacterium tumefaciens
* Characterization of P uptake by transgenic plants and contribution to the development of model for regulatory mechanisms underlying mycorrhizal growth responses in crops

The project is funded by The Danish Council for Independent Research | Technology and Production Sciences and involves collaborators in Denmark, Australia and USA. You will join the mycorrhiza project group and part of your work will be carried out at the breeding company DLF Trifolium under supervision by researchers with core expertise on transformation of grasses. The project will be embedded in a dynamic and productive research environment including other PhD students, Researchers and Technicians.

Qualifications
We seek an energetic and skilled candidate with a Master’s degree in plant biology or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the Master’s degree in plant biology. The successful applicant will be highly motivated, will have demonstrated ability to work independently, and will have experience in the use of molecular-physiological methods. Experimental experience with plant-microbe interactions is an advantage but not a requirement. Ability for easy going communication (English) and mutual commitment to effective team work are highly desired. The work requires a driving license.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 20 December 2010
Further scholarship Information and Application

Scholarship Tags: crops, Denmark, Depressions, Forage, Growth, PhD, Scholarship, Symbiotic