NSF awards BTI $1M to study plant-bacteria symbiosis

Professor Dr. Fay-Wei Li has been awarded a $1.1 million NSF grant to study hornwort/bacteria symbiosis. The hornwort plant relies on nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria to give it life and unlocking the secrets to how that works may help reduce agricultural dependence on synthetic fertilizer.

“Hornwort is a remarkable plant, and only a few remarkable plants can form symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria,” said Li, adjunct assistant professor of plant biology at Cornell and principal investigator.

Read the full article from the Cornell Chronicle here.