My research group investigates microbial opportunities to reduce dependencies on agricultural chemicals. We have several projects working to understand the rhizobium-legume symbiosis wherein rhizobium bacteria transform atmospheric nitrogen into useable forms by the plant, and looking to maximize this process in legume crops, and reduce dependency on nitrogen fertilizers. We also have several synthetic biology projects working towards engineering the rhizobium-legume symbiosis into cereal crops. Finally, broader research into how plants assemble their microbiomes and how to engineer those microbiomes aims to set the stage for crop improvement in a variety of ways including reducing disease such as Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) and ameliorating Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC)

Email: barney.geddes@ndsu.edu
 

Project: Elucidating the genetics of rhizobium-legume symbiosis to enable nitrogen-fixing cereal crops