Research in this theme focuses on

• understanding and harnessing ecosystem processes to provide new bio-protection strategies that underpin sustainable agriculture and environmental protection


• using advanced molecular techniques to elucidate plant-microbe and microbe-pest interactions in the soil


• exploring and manipulating the biodiversity/ecosystem function (BDEF) relationship to produce favourable effects by adding biodiversity to ecosystems services such as biological control


• using advanced molecular techniques to measure the effects of environmental stress on the expression of genes involved in plant productivity.

A flagship programme within this Theme is the Greening Waipara Project. Fifty North Canterbury vineyards are collaborating in this world-leading biodiversity enhancement programme.

A lot of our work with soil is undertaken in the New Zealand Biotron - a purpose-built facility unique to New Zealand.

Theme Leaders: Professor Leo Condron and Professor Travis Glare, both of Lincoln University.