Project Title: 

Harnessing the genetic potential for arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in rice

Project Summary:

The broad aim of the PhD is to harness the genetic potential for arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis in rice. Recent establishment of the high coverage, 3000 Oryza sativa (rice) genome sequence dataset through international effort at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines, provides a unique opportunity to investigate genetic diversity in AM symbiosis. In addition, identification of a novel shoot metabolite marker of AM fungi-association- blumenols- allows for development of a high-throughput screening method to interrogate variation in AM outcome between accessions. This provides a strong basis for a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) aiming to identify candidate gene variants required for AM symbiosis in rice.