Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is the intimate association that can form between the roots of more than 80% of plant species and a group of soil fungi. AM associations can promote plant health, by enhancing nutrient uptake, drought tolerance and resistance to soil pathogens.
My project aims to advance our understanding of how plants establish and regulate this important symbiosis by defining the role of plant-derived hormones in AM development. My project is looking at AM development in a series of well-characterised pea hormone mutants, and includes studying whole plant physiology, gene expression and hormone quantification.