Engineering a proto-nodule on cassava roots

Cassava plays a pivotal role in ensuring food security and fostering economic development in the sub-tropics. The current dependence on soil-derived microbes for nutrient supply in cassava production proves to be a sustainable alternative to costly and environmentally unfriendly chemical fertilisers. Yet, cassava lacks the ability to obtain nitrogen by means of root nodule symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, limiting its potential for increased crop yield. In this research proposal, I present a novel approach to engineer nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis in cassava.