Jen McGaley, from the Cereal Symbiosis Group at the Crop Science Centre, has been awarded the ‘Best Paper in Applied Agricultural Mycorrhizal Research’ at the International Conference on Mycorrhiza (ICOM) 2024 . This recognition highlights Jen’s work in advancing our understanding of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis, a vital interaction between plants and fungi with significant implications for global agriculture.
McGaley’s award-winning research introduces the AMSlide, an innovative, noninvasive, high-resolution live-imaging system specifically designed for AM symbiosis studies. The AMSlide addresses a critical challenge in the field: capturing the dynamic, spatiotemporal processes of mycorrhizal interactions within plant roots. Traditional microscopy methods have successfully explored the spatial aspects of this relationship, but understanding its temporal evolution has remained elusive due to the difficulties in maintaining both plant and fungal partners undisturbed over extended periods.
Read more: Jen McGaley wins award for innovative mycorrhizal research at ICOM 2024
Reference: McGaley J. et al, 'The AMSlide for noninvasive time-lapse imaging of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis', Journal of Microscopy, May 2024, https://doi.org/10.1111/jmi.13313.
Image: Jen McGaley receiving her award at ICOM 2024.