Dr Mihály Kecskés

Summary

I have been working with plant and soil micro-organisms for more than 14 years. Since joining the University of Sydney in 2002 my main area of interest has been beneficial microbes important in plant growth promotion. My research aim is to develop efficient plant-microbe combinations which are more effective in utilising supplied fertilisers for crops.

Research interests

Legumes have been cultivated for thousands of years with relatively little need for chemical N-fertilisers: These plants have a natural, self-fertilising process based on the plant growth promoting (PGP) microbes known as rhizobia, acting as ‘biofertilisers' gathered in their nodules. However, the early promise that the yields of cereals would benefit from associations with associative biofertiliser organisms has not met expectations. The major aim of my present project is to use genomics and proteomics to analyse the biodiversity available in both soil microbes and in cereals to enable the selection of superior genotypes of microbes and cereal cultivars for PGP effects. To achieve this aim we are:

• using bioinformatics to identify and confirm the regions of the bacterial genome responsible for PGP effects; this will enable a process of continual improved selection of these microbes from the natural biodiversity in the rhizosphere of crop plants; and
• searching for the main gene products associated with effective PGP microbial activity, by investigating the phenotypic and proteomic responses in the roots of the target plants, thereby allowing the selection of cultivars that will optimise yields.

My work is carried out as part of an international collaboration with the Joint Institute of the University of Tennessee (UT) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), USA, and funded by an ARC Discovery grant.

Research funding (in the last 5 years):

• ‘Development of microbial inoculants as biofertilisers for rice, wheat and turfgrass’, 2003-2005, ARC Linkage $225K
• ‘Efficient nutrient use in rice production in Vietnam achieved using inoculant biofertilisers’, 2004-2007, ACIAR $435K
• Climate controlled PC2 and pathogen contained glasshouse facility, 2007, ARC LIEF $337K
• Plant growth promotion of rice and wheat. 2007-2009, ARC Discovery $420K
• Digital Microscopy in Agricultural Microbiology 2007, TIES Small Grant, University of Sydney $10K

Background

Mihály has been working in the area of plant pathogenic bacteria until the completion of his PhD at the Plant Protection Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. After he moved to Australia from 2002 he has been studying plant growth promoting bacteria at the SUNFix Centre at the University of Sydney.

Mihály currently co-supervise a part time Master and three PhD and students. Between 2003 and 2008 he has also been a co-supervisor for ten short-term Master students.

Recent publications

• Cong, P.T., Dung, T. D., Hien, T. M., Hien, N. T., Choudhury, A.T.M.A., Kecskés, M.L., Kennedy, I.R. (2008) Increased yield and efficiency of nutrient N and P use as a result of the application of an inoculant biofertiliser. European Journal of Soil Biology. In press: available online from 21 July 2008
• Ahmed, M.F., Choudhury, A.T.M.A, Kecskés, M.L., Kennedy, I.R., Deaker, R. Phosphorus Adsorption in Some Australian Soils and Influence of Bacteria on the Desorption of Phosphorus. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 39, 1–26, 2008.
• Choudhury, A.T.M.A., Kennedy, I.R., Ahmed, M.F., Kecskés, M.L. (2007) Phosphorus fertilization for rice and control of environmental pollution problems. Pakistan J. Biol. Sci., 10 (13), 2098-2105.
• Chungwoo K, Kecskés, M.L., Deaker, R.J., Gilchrist, K., New, P.B., Kennedy, I.R., Tongmin Sa (2005) Wheat root colonization and nitrogen fixation of Azospirillum isolates from crop plants in Korea. Canadian Journal of Microbiology, 51, 948-956.
• Kennedy, I.R. Choudhury, A.T.M.A., Kecskés, M.L. (2004) Non-symbiotic bacterial diazotrophs in crop-farming systems: can their potential for plant growth promotion be better exploited? Soil Biol. Biochem., 36:1229–1244
• Klement, Z., Bozsó, Z., Kecskés, M.L., Besenyei, E., Czelleng, A., Ott, P.G. (2003) Local early induced resistance of plants as the first line of defence against bacteria. Pest Manag. Sci. 59:465–474
• Book: Kennedy, I.R., Choudhury, A.T.M.A, Kecskés, M.L. and Rose, M.T. (eds) 2008. Efficient nutrient use in rice production in Vietnam achieved using inoculant biofertilisers. Proceedings of a project (SMCN/2002/073) workshop held in Hanoi, Vietnam, 12–13 October 2007. ACIAR Proceedings No. 130, 137pp.
  www.aciar.gov.au/publication/PR130

Contact

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