Park Bong Soo

Impact

Modern food production depends heavily on fertilizers to maintain sustainable crop yields. However, the extraction of non-renewable fertilizer sources, particularly phosphate from phosphate rock, has reached unsustainable levels. This dependency threatens global food security, as fertilizer shortages could lead to reduced crop yields and increased food prices, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities. Developing advanced nutrient sensors, bio-fertilizers, bio-stimulants, and plant growth technologies can enhance nutrient use efficiency, reducing agricultural costs and mitigating the social and economic consequences of fertilizer scarcity. By investing in such innovations, we can build more resilient food systems, ensuring equitable access to affordable and nutritious food worldwide.

Collaborations, Achievements & Honours

  • Collaboration with MIT and A*STAR to develop smart sensors for plant nutrient diagnosis
  • Collaboration with Singapore indoor farms for technological field trials and transfers
  • Developed Raman sensor for nitrate detection in precise nitrogen diagnosis and nutrient management
  • Development of root air-pruning devices for soil-based and hydroponic indoor farming systems, improving nutrient use efficiency, nutritional value and increasing biomass
  • Development of bio-fertilizers for improved nutrient use efficiency and soil remediation
  • Granted research on High Performance Precision Agriculture (HiPPA) by A*STAR (2020)
  • Granted research on Disruptive and Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP I) by National Research Foundation (2018)
  • Granted research on Disruptive and Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP II) by National Research Foundation (2023)

Research Areas

Plant Molecular Biology, Crop Biotechnology

Affiliations

  • Principal Investigator, TLL

Question

How can plant nutrient signalling and biofertilizer enhance yield, nutrition value and vegetable shelf-life in vegetable crops?

Approach

Bong Soo’s lab is focused on plant nutrient signalling and microbiome symbiosis to increase crop production yield, nutrition value, nutrient use efficiency in indoor farms as well as to improve vegetable shelf-life. Current research projects include developing senescence inhibitor to prolong agricultural shelf-life, early diagnosis of crop nutrient deficiency using Raman spectroscopy and formulating fungi-based biocontrol agents for plant growth promotion and aluminium tolerance.

Bong Soo’s research interests also cover various aspects of plant nutrient signalling pathways and molecular breeding. In the next five years, he hopes to achieve higher food production levels by transferring invention disclosures to local indoor farms in Singapore. These include the early detection of plant nitrogen deficiency with Raman spectroscopy, adoption of partial root-zone drying in hydroponic systems, and the identification of POT1, a Penicillium olsonii TLL1 strain that increases phosphate use efficiency and alleviates aluminium stress in plants.

Bong Soo’s longer-term goal includes developing unlimited phosphate production techniques, identifying materials and  methodologies for phosphate production.

Bio

Bong Soo received his Bachelor in Crop Science at Chungnam National University. He then earned his Masters and PhD at Seoul National University. He also completed postdoctoral training with Prof. Chua Nam Hai at the Rockefeller University and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory. He is currently Principal Investigator.

Principal Investigator

Park Bong Soo

The lab focuses on increasing nutrient use efficiency in plants, formulating smart bio-fertilizers and post-harvest control methods for indoor farming systems.

Contact

bongsoo@tll.org.sg
+65 6872 7063

Group Publications

  • Advanced growth device boosts hydroponic efficiency: Enhancing yield and quality while reducing crop production cost and algae contamination

    Dhandapani S, Philip VS, Nabeela Nasreen SAA, Park BS.21 January 2025
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  • Molecular Mechanisms of Phosphate Use Efficiency in Arabidopsis via Penicillium olsonii TLL1

    Agisha VN, Suraby EJ, Dhandapani S, Sng YH, Lim SH and Park BS.29 November 2024
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  • Mitigating aluminum toxicity and promoting plant resilience in acidic soil with Penicillium olsonii TLL1

    Dhandapani S, Sng YH, Agisha VN, Suraby EJ and Park BS.20 June 2024
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  • Early detection of N, P, K deficiency in Choy Sum using hyperspectral imaging-based spatial spectral feature mining

    Teo VX#, Dhandapani S#, Ang Jie R, Philip VS, Teo Ju Teng M, Zhang S, Park BS*, Olivo M* and Dinish US*.3 September 2024
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  • Inositol polyphosphates-regulated polyubiquitination of PHR1 by NLA E3 ligase during phosphate starvation response in Arabidopsis

    Park SH, Jeong JS, Huang CH, Park BS, Chua NH.1 February 2023
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  • Plant growth promotion under phosphate deficiency and improved phosphate acquisition by new fungal strain, Penicillium olsonii TLL1

    Suraby EJ, Agisha VN, Dhandapani S, Sng YH, Lim SH, Naqvi NI, Sarojam R, Yin Z and Park BS.19 October 2023
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  • Effects of Storage Temperatures on Nitrogen Assimilation and Remobilization during Post-Harvest Senescence of Pak Choi

    Dhandapani S, Philip VS, Nabeela Nasreen SAA, Tan AMX, Jayapal PK, Ram RJ, Park BS.18 October 2023
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  • Species-independent analytical tools for next-generation agriculture

    Lew, T, Sarojam, R, Jang, IC, Park BS, Naqvi N, Wong M, Singh G, Ram R, Shoseyov O, Saito K, Chua N-H*, Strano M*.14 December 2020
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  • Early Diagnosis and Management of Nitrogen Deficiency in Plants Utilizing Raman Spectroscopy

    Huang CH#, Singh GP#, Park SH, Chua N-H, Ram RJ* and Park BS*.5 June 2020
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  • Portable Raman leaf-clip sensor for rapid detection of plant stress

    Gupta S,Huang CH, Singh GP, Park BS, Chua NH and Ram RJ.19 November 2020
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