Heike Buecking

Dr. Heike Buecking is a Professor of Beneficial Plant-Microbe Interactions in the Division of Plant Science & Technology at the University of Missouri. Her research focuses on understanding how symbiotic relationships between plants and microorganisms like arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and rhizobia bacteria enhance plant resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. She leads the Division of Plant Science & Technology from offices in Agriculture Lab 52 and science Lab 43.

• Ph.D. from the University of Bremen, Germany

Dr. Buecking's research explores:

• Carbon-nutrient exchange dynamics in root symbioses
• AM fungi's role in phosphate, nitrogen, and sulfur acquisition
• Rhizobia's nitrogen fixation mechanisms in legumes
• Microbial community responses to drought and salinity
• Stable isotope tracking of symbiotic processes
• Next-generation sequencing of root microbiomes

Her recent publications examine potassium regulation in soybean salinity tolerance, root symbiome engineering for sustainable agriculture, and microbial community shifts under stress conditions. Current projects include developing quality frameworks for commercial AM fungal inoculants and investigating tripartite interactions in Medicago truncatula.

Dr. Buecking's lab (Agriculture Lab 43) investigates plant stress responses, microbial resource allocation, and symbiotic cost-benefit balances using advanced transcriptomic and metabolic analyses.