Transforming symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) in mungbean: From phenomics to breeding

Mungbean (Vigna radiata L.) is a key Australian pulse crop that typically derives only about 50 percent of its nitrogen from the atmosphere via symbiotic nitrogen fixation (SNF) with the remainder sourced from soil. However, there is natural variation in SNF effectiveness in mungbean and other pulses, my PhD project aims to harness natural variation in SNF effectiveness and focuses on dissecting the genetic basis of SNF and developing phenomics and genomic tools to accelerate breeding for improved SNF in mungbean.
This project will integrate AI enabled root nodule phenotyping, 15N based SNF estimation, and genome wide association studies to identify genomic regions controlling SNF under contrasting soil nitrogen regimes. Nitrogen fixation kinetics will be characterised across developmental stages to link fixation patterns with seed nitrogen accumulation and end use quality. Haplotype catalogues for SNF will be developed and the UQ FastStack pipeline applied to identify optimal parental combinations that maximise favourable SNF haplotypes. Genetic simulations will define practical crossing strategies to accelerate cumulative genetic gain for SNF and yield stability.
This multidisciplinary approach positions this research at the intersection of genomics, sustainable agriculture, and food security, contributing to the mission of enhancing agricultural productivity while reducing environmental impacts through development of climate resilient legume varieties for sustainable farming systems.