Professor WANG Ertao from the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences,visited IHB on September 11, 2024. (Credit: IHB)

On September 11, 2024, Professor WANG Ertao from the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was invited to the Institute of Hydrobiology (IHB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for an academic exchange. He delivered a lecture titled "Mechanisms and Applications of Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in Legumes and Rhizobia."

In his presentation, Professor Wang introduced the significant application potential of nitrogen-fixing microorganisms recently discovered by his team, which can enhance crop yields in legumes. He emphasized the critical role of basic research in practical agricultural applications.

Wang also shared key findings from his team’s long-term research on plant-microbe symbiotic nitrogen fixation, including the discovery that fatty acids are the main form of carbon transferred from plants to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi during symbiosis. This led to the establishment of a theoretical framework centered on fatty acids for the exchange and regulation of nutrients in mycorrhizal symbiosis. He also identified plant receptors for mycorrhizal factors, uncovering the molecular basis of how plants recognize symbiotic microorganisms.

Professor Wang is a researcher and doctoral supervisor at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. His research has been published in major international journals such as Science, Nature, and Cell, making him a leading explorer in the field of plant-microbe symbiosis.