STUDENTS:Nicho NURDEBYANDARU

Name of United Graduate School of Agricultural Sciences:Tottori University
Assigned university:Tottoriuniversity
Specialized field:Soil microbiology and Plant-microbe interaction
Research Theme:
• Understanding the function of hyphal associated bacteria in vivo
• Study on ectomycorrhiza application to promote pine plant as a symbiont for producing fruiting body
Obtained (planned) degree/date:Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D. (Agriculture) 　September 2024 (scheduled)

Agriculture is important because food is a primary human need. Population increase must be balanced with agricultural production. Various are taken to increase production, one of which is by optimizing existing resources or looking for other food sources. However, the problem of increasing production is also inseparable from major problems such as pests and diseases and even environmental conditions like global warming. This issue has made me interested in studying agriculture from various aspects. Since my undergraduate, I studied in the microbiology field. My undergraduate thesis about the potential of the bacterial enzyme as biocontrol of plant pest and my graduate thesis on the taxonomy of endophytic fungi and interaction of dark septate endophytic fungi (DSE) in increasing plant vigor under temperature stress.

I have worked as quality control at a multinational company, university lecturer, and government-organization analyst. Now, I am working as a researcher and disseminating technology related to agricultural land resources and biofertilizer production at the R&D Agency at the Ministry of Agriculture. Soil is a very complex ecosystem with hidden resources where microbes and plants interact. Therefore, I am interested in continuing my study to see the interaction of bacteria, ectomycorrhizal fungi, and their symbiont plants. Research related to ectomycorrhizal fungi is still rarely done, especially in my country where pine forests are very wide and are commonly used for resin production, ecology, and tourism. The use of pine forests as a source of production for food diversity will be interesting and provide added value for agriculture. Therefore, during my doctoral education, I will study the interactions of bacteria associated with mycorrhizae and the effect and compatibility of these microbes on plants. I hope there are new insights and knowledge that can be applied to the development of fertilizer products and increasing mushrooms or other agricultural commodities production.