Sulemana Issifu

Sulemana is participating in the Perennial Agriculture Project, which involves The Land Institute and The Malone Family Land Preservation Foundation. His research focuses on microbial ecology, plant-microbe interactions and biological nitrification inhibition (BNI). BNI refers to a plant strategy for regulating nitrification by releasing various phytochemicals that suppress the activity of nitrifying microbes. While nitrogen is essential for plant growth, improper management during nitrification can negatively affect ecosystems. At present, he examines how Kernza®, a perennial wheatgrass, controls nitrification and interacts with its associated microbiome. In his postdoctoral research, Sulemana studies how biotic factors (such as mycorrhization) and abiotic factors (such as different forms of nitrogen) influence Kernza’s performance and shape its microbiome community, including bacteria, archaea and fungi. His research aims to clarify some ecosystem services provided by Kernza®.