Professor Megan Ryan undertakes research across a broad range of areas related to development of sustainable farming systems, with a particular focus on annual pasture legumes.  Key areas of focus include phosphorus nutrition of crop and pastures species and the development of phosphorus-efficient systems. Investigation of rhizosphere processes, root morphology and root physiology has played a central role in this research. Dr Ryan has long had an interest in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and whether there is a need to manage them in agricultural systems. Recently, her team made the unexpected and significant discovery that AMF are not monophyletic with taxa present in both the Glomeromycotina (G-AMF) and Mucoromycotina (M-AMF) with the latter prolific in Australian agricultural systems. Currently, Dr Ryan is involved with projects focussed on M-AMF, engineering new methods for harvest of subterranean clover seed, physiology and abiotic stress tolerance of subterranean clover, transformation of organic waste into fertiliser and chickpea phosphorus physiology.  Dr Ryan plays a key role in the Annual Legume Breeding Australia (ALBA) Joint Venture between UWA and DLF Seeds. Dr Ryan is also the leader of the UWA node of the Transforming Biosolids ARC Industrial Transformation and Training Centre.

Coordinator: Feeding the World (AGRI1001) (S1)

Joint coordinator: Pasture and Livestock Systems (AGRI2201) (S2) 

Coordinator: Topics in Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology (ENVT5600) (S1, S2)

Coordinator: Master of Agricultural Science