Plant scientist awarded £1.9 million grant to explore biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) as sustainable alterative to fertilisers
A plant scientist has been awarded a Royal Society Fellowship to explore more sustainable agricultural practices at the University of Nottingham.
Dr Manuel Frank has been granted £1.9 million for his research into biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) in plants, with the aim of reducing the need for synthetic nitrogen fertilisers (SNFs). He will move from Aarhus University in Denmark to take up the fellowship at the University of Nottingham.
SNFs, which are used to increase crop yields, have significant environmental drawbacks. According to the Royal Society, SNFs emit 1.5mn tonnes of CO2 a year and cause groundwater pollution from nitrate leaching.
Frank will research BNF, a sustainable alternative to fertilisers, which provides 60 per cent of the Earth’s fixed nitrogen. During this process, legumes obtain nitrogen by housing nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules.
However, the presence of external nitrogen, especially soil nitrate, suppresses nodulation, making BNF less effective in typical UK soils. Frank will explore the very early stages of nodulation, focusing on how plants prepare to engage with soil bacteria and how external nitrate disrupts this preparation.
He said: “I am honoured to receive this prestigious fellowship. I am grateful for the support of my students, mentors, and colleagues, who made this achievement possible.
He added: “I am excited to start this new chapter of my scientific adventure at the University of Nottingham.”
Royal Society fellowships are awarded to scientists in the early stages of their research career who have the potential of becoming leaders in their fields.
Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, said: “I am delighted to welcome this latest cohort of University Research Fellows. These highly accomplished scientists represent the next generation of world-leading researchers.”
