The discovery of plant traits that regulate the amino acid acquisition and utilization can be a game changer in plant breeding for organic cultivation. The identification of plants that vary in amino acid uptake and utilization will allow further investigation of this phenomenon at the molecular level

Nitrogen (N) fertilization provides profitable agriculture but leads to N losses that have adverse impacts on the environment and climate. Consequently, technologies are required that can reduce the amount of N applied for crop production while maintaining a sustainable harvestable yield. This defines the interest to low-input agricultural technology, such as organic cultivation. We know that under organic cultivation, soluble organic (e.g., amino acid [AA]) nitrogen forms play an important role in plant N nutrition. However, the effects of different AA on plant growth and the presence of significant differences between genotypes in uptake and utilization of AA are poorly investigated. 

We hypothesize that the cultivation of plants that can take up AA more efficiently will revolutionize organic crop production. Moreover, the cultivation of plants that can efficiently absorb AAs will reduce the conversion of soil AAs into inorganic N, thereby reducing N release into the environment. 

The AAs with the greatest abundance in soil are alanine, glycine, and glutamic acid. These AAs served both as an N source and as specific signals (or growth stimulators). You perform experiments under control conditions with the aim of obtaining a mechanistic understanding of the plant adaptation to organic nitrogen supply. You will work with contrasting tomato accessions and related wild species.  In this study, various analytical and molecular approaches (e.g., metabolite and gene expression analysis) will be used to gain insight into the physiological mechanisms underlying plant response to different forms of organic N.