Can a particular type of fungi act as a natural fertilizer for the hemp plant?<\/p>\n
Brock University biologist Michael Bidochka and his research team have formed a partnership with Toronto-based hemp company CanBud<\/a> to find out.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just want to do a proof of concept right now to ask some basic questions about which fungi associate with the hemp plant and how these affect the plant,\u201d says the Professor of Biological Sciences.<\/p>\n With his CanBud research, Bidochka is building on more than a decade of investigations into how fungi interact with plants.<\/p>\n In a groundbreaking study<\/a> in 2012, the team found that a fungus called Metarhizium, which <\/em>feasts upon more than 200 different kinds of soil-born insects, is able to transfer nitrogen from dead bugs into plants through the plant\u2019s root system.<\/p>\n It was a breakthrough discovery. All living organisms need nitrogen, which is abundant in the atmosphere but is unable to be metabolized by plants when the nitrogen is in its gaseous form.<\/p>\n Most plants obtain nitrogen naturally through bacteria and microbial decomposition of plant and animal material in soils. However, if the soil is depleted, nitrogen is introduced into the soil through chemically laden fertilizers, which has many harmful effects on the environment.<\/p>\n \u201cThis discovery generates new knowledge that enables us to better understand the nitrogen cycle and soil ecosystems,\u201d Bidochka said at the time.<\/p>\n