Giles Oldroyd
Project leader
University of Cambridge
Giles Oldroyd is a Group Leader at the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU). Western agricultural systems are reliant on the application of inorganic nitrogen fertilisers that greatly enhance yield. However, production and application of nitrogen fertilisers account for a significant proportion of fossil fuel usage in food production and the major global source of nitrous oxide emissions, a very potent greenhouse gas. Giles Oldroyd studies the mechanisms by which some species of plants are capable of forming beneficial interactions with nitrogen fixing bacteria that provide a natural source of nitrogen for plant growth and with mycorrhizal fungi that facilitate nutrient capture from the soil. A long term aim of this research is to reduce agricultural reliance on nitrogen fertilisers.
Science areas: Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, Mycorrhizal fungi