Abstract
Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) availability limit productivity across many ecosystems. Consequently N and P fertilizers underpin agriculture, and yet they also degrade ecosystems and biodiversity. To address the resultant conflict, we need improved knowledge of how N and P impact life. In particular, we need to understand how plant genome size (the amount of DNA in each cell) interacts with N and P to influence how and where plants grow and their nutritional quality. We will conduct critical lab and field-based experiments to deliver this new understanding, work that could influence how we grow crops and protect our environment.
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