James Hutton Institute

The James Hutton Institute (JHI) is an international research centre based in Scotland, with a focus on fundamental and applied research that addresses some of the world’s most challenging problems, including the impact of climate change and threats to food and water security.

The aim of the JHI team involved in Project NUE-Leg is to identify and characterise the rhizobial strains that fix the most atmospheric nitrogen in association with the forage legume species that are the focus of the project (clover and Lotus).

‘Rhizobia’ are soil bacteria capable of forming root nodules with specific legume hosts, from where the rhizobia can provide the plant partner with all the nitrogen required for growth. This association (‘symbiosis’), underpins a critical and globally important ecological process called, ‘biological nitrogen fixation’ (BNF).

However, rhizobia can span a diverse spectrum of types, both in terms of host (legume species) preference, as well as BNF efficiency. We have steadily been reconfirming the identity of rhizobia that can interact with clover as well as Bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) from existing collections – both at JHI, and the IBERS Collection (at Aberystwyth University, Wales), as well as isolating new rhizobia strains from field soils.

We will test the BNF efficiency of these bacteria on NUE-Leg’s novel focal-species (and conventional crop types), in pot-based- and field-trials. We hope to provide farmers with the most efficient rhizobia symbionts (as commercial seed-inoculants) while generating a better understanding of the genetics underpinning high BNF capability.