Phosphate deficiency in legume nodules

Legume nodules form a symbiotic relationship with specific soil-borne bacteria. This nodule-bacterial symbiosis is capable of biological N2 fixation, during which atmospheric N2 gas is converted to mineral NH3/NH4+. P is an essential element to plant structural and metabolic functions. In order to avoid structural and functional limitations by P deficiency, legume nodules have a suite of anatomical and biochemical adaptations to alleviate P stress and maintain N metabolism. These adaptations will be discussed for legumes from model systems and from nutrient-poor environments.

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Short biography

Alex Valentine’s research focuses on the adaptations of legume nodules to metabolise N during P deficiency. He completed his PhD in Plant Physiology at the National University of Ireland (University College Dublin) in 1997. During his career he has produced 90 publications and graduated 10 MSc and 11 PhD students. He serves on the editorial boards of BMC Plant Biology, PLoS ONE and Scientific Reports. He recently edited the special issue on P deficiency in plants for Frontiers in Plant Science.