PBHS trainee Ron Cook doing Internship at Terragen Biotech in Australia

This Spring, a PBHS trainee is getting experience beyond his dissertation research by doing an internship.

Ron Cook (Benning group) is doing an internship from January to March 2020 at Terragen Biotech, a small agricultural biotech company in Coolum Beach, Queensland. 

Terragen develops microbial mixtures for use as animal feed supplements and soil conditioners for plants. Their soil conditioner has been demonstrated to increase productivity in a wide range of crops, including ryegrass-based cattle pastures, avocados, and sugarcane.

Ron will be involved in R&D projects aimed at better understanding how microbes interact with the plants and affect the soil environment, with the goal of applying this knowledge to further develop the product.