Wheat plants invest more in mycorrhizae and receive more benefits from them under adverse than favorable soil conditions

Soil chemistry and biota heavily influence crop plant growth and mineral nutrition. The stress-severity and optimal resource allocation hypotheses predict mutualistic symbiotic benefits to increase with the degree of metabolic imbalance and environmental stress. Using two cross-factorial pot experiments with the same biologically active calcareous soil, one time highly saline and nutrient-deficient, and the other time partially desalinated and amended with mineral soil fertilizer, we explored whether these general predictions hold true for zinc (Zn) nutrition of bread wheat in mycorrhizal symbiosis. Increased arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal root colonization positively correlated with plant Zn nutrition, but only when plants were impaired in growth due to salinity and nutrient-deficiency; this was particularly so in a cultivar-responsive to application of mineral Zn fertilizer. Evidence for direct involvement of AM fungi were positive correlations between Zn uptake from soil and frequency of fungal symbiotic nutrient exchange organelles, as well as the quantitative abundance of AM fungi of the genera Funneliformis and Rhizophagus, but not Claroideoglomus. Combined partial soil desalination and fertilization swapped the dominance ranking from Claroideoglomus spp. to Funneliformis spp. Positive growth, nitrogen, and Zn uptake responses to mycorrhization were contingent on moderate soil fertilization with ZnSO₄. In agreement with the predictions of the stress-severity and optimal resource allocation hypotheses, plants limited in growth due to chemically adverse soil conditions invested relatively more into AM fungi, as evident from heavier root colonization, and took up relatively more Zn and nitrogen in response to mycorrhization, than better growing and less mycorrhized plants. It thus appears that crop plant cultivar-dependent mycorrhization and Zn fertilizer-responsiveness may reinforce each other, provided that there is bioavailable Zn in soil and plant growth is impaired by suboptimal chemical soil conditions.     

Effects of nitrogen feeding for extraradical mycelium of Rhizophagus irregularis maize symbiosis incorporated with phosphorus availability

In terrestrial ecosystems, plants are frequently in symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with mineral nutrients and photosynthesis carbon exchanges in between. This research sought to identify the effects of phosphorus (P) levels on the nitrogen (N) uptake via extraradical mycelium (ERM) and the mycorrhizal growth response (MGR) of maize plants within the AMF symbiosis. Pots were separated into root compartments and hyphae compartments (HCs) with two layers of a 30‐μm mesh membrane and an air gap in between, where only hyphae could pass through, to avoid both N diffusion and root growth effects. Maize plants were inoculated with Rhizophagus irregularis with different N fertilization in HCs under two different P fertilization levels. Our results indicated that a strong increase in MGR with low‐P fertilization. The same tendency was not observed with high‐P fertilization, although both had a large increase in P concentration as a potential source of growth in shoot tissue of mycorrhizal plants. Substantial effects (10.5% more N) were observed in the case of high‐P availability for the host plants from ERM fed with N, whereas under low‐P conditions ERM may prioritize P uptake rather than N uptake. The AM fungi increase the uptake of N and P, which are most limiting in the soil with fewer forces from soil resources. In addition, there was still more P accumulated than N due to the high N for ERM with high‐P supply. Low N in HCs corresponded with a lower colonization rate in roots but with high hyphae density in HCs; this result suggest that N and P availability might change the ratio of extraradical to intraradical hyphae length.     

植物激素响应和调控丛枝菌根共生研究进展

【目的】丛枝菌根是土壤中的丛枝菌真菌（arbuscular mycorrhizal,AM）与大多数陆地植物根系形成的互惠共生体。丛枝菌根的形成过程是一系列信号交换和转导的结果,受到很多基因的程序化表达调控。植物激素作为重要的信号物质被证实能够参与调控植物与AM真菌的互作过程。本文简述了植物激素在调控丛枝菌根形成的作用机理,为激素调控丛枝菌根形成的研究与应用提供理论线索。主要进展外源施加低浓度的生长素和脱落酸能够促进丛枝菌根共生,而外源施加赤霉素能够显著抑制丛枝菌根中丛枝的形成;内源缺失赤霉素,脱落酸以及油菜素内酯会抑制丛枝菌根共生;茉莉酸合成突变体推迟丛枝菌根形成;独脚金内酯合成、转运以及受体突变体都会抑制丛枝菌根共生;生长素以及脱落酸受体表达量降低会抑制丛枝菌根共生。但是生长素信号受体的降低表达不仅能够显著抑制丛枝菌根的形成还能显著抑制丛枝细胞的正常发育,而植物脱落酸信号受体表达降低突变体中丛枝细胞发育正常。研究展望激素如何调控丛枝菌根共生的研究仍处于起步阶段。随着转基因和基因编辑技术（如Crispr/cas9系统介导的基因敲除技术）的快速发展以及通过菌根植物的基因组、转录组、蛋白质和代谢组数据的挖掘,丛枝菌根共生中的众多科学问题以及与其他植物-微生物互作系统等问题都将一一得到解答。     

铬稳定同位素在丛枝菌根蒲公英中的分馏及根外菌丝对铬的吸收

As common soil fungi that form symbioses with most terrestrial plants,arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM) fungi play an important role in plant adaptation to chromium(Cr) contamination.However,little information is available on the underlying mechanisms of AM symbiosis on plant Cr resistance.In this study,dandelion(Taraxacum platypecidum Diels.) was grown with and without inoculation of the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis and Cr uptake by extraradical mycelium(ERM) was investigated by a compartmented cultivation system using a Cr stable isotope tracer.The results indicated that AM symbiosis increased plant dry weights and P concentrations but decreased shoot Cr concentrations.Using the Cr stable isotope tracer technology,the work provided possible evidences of Cr uptake and transport by ERM,and confirmed the enhancement of root Cr stabilization by AM symbiosis.This study also indicated an enrichment of lighter Cr isotopes in shoots during Cr translocation from roots to shoots in mycorrhizal plants.     

Nitrogen availability mediates the effects of roots and mycorrhizal fungi on soil organic carbon decomposition: A meta-analysis

Plant roots and their associated mycorrhizal fungi critically mediate the decomposition of soil organic carbon (C), but the general patterns of their impacts over a broad geographical range and the primary mediating factors remain unclear. Based on a synthesis of 596 paired observations from both field and greenhouse experiments, we found that living roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi increased organic C decomposition by 30.9%, but low soil nitrogen (N) availability (i.e., high soil C:N ratio) critically mitigated this promotion effect. In addition, the positive effects of living roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi on organic C decomposition were higher under herbaceous and leguminous plants than under woody and non-leguminous plants, respectively. Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and ectomycorrhizal fungi in their effects on organic C decomposition. Furthermore, roots and/or mycorrhizal fungi significantly enhanced the decomposition of leaf litter but not root litter. These findings advance our understanding of how roots and their symbiotic fungi modulate soil C dynamics in the rhizosphere or mycorrhizosphere and may help improve predictions of soil global C balance under a changing climate.     

Yield and phosphorus uptake of a processing tomato crop grown at different phosphorus levels in a calcareous soil as affected by mycorrhizal inoculation under field conditions

We have evaluated the effectiveness of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation (+M and ?M) at 0, 60, and 120 kg ?ha^?1 of P fertilizer on crop growth (IE_g), plant P nutrition and yield (IE_y), and on mycorrhization occurrence in a processing tomato crop. Two experiments were carried out in calcareous soil under field conditions. Phosphorus fertilization had no effect on crop growth and yield. At harvests, +M plants showed higher aerial dry weight, fruit fresh weight, and P concentration. Inoculated plants produced larger inflorescences, higher flower number, and total and marketable fruit number compared with ?M plants. At P₀ and P₆₀, plants associated with exogenous AMF were able to enhance P recovery, nevertheless factors other than the P uptake improvement concurred to make the inoculation effective. In both years, P fertilization enhanced IE_g and IE_y, and the application of 60 kg ?ha^?1 of P in inoculated soil was enough to reach high production level (134 Mg ?ha^?1). In the first trial, due to earlier root mycorrhization in inoculated and P fertilized soil, higher IE_g and IE_y were obtained compared with the second experiment. In the latter, during the initial phase, plant growth was more affected by P fertilization than by soil arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inoculation. Root mycorrhization by native AM fungi indicates that the intensive management of the investigated agro-system did not depress fungi infectivity; however, it caused the selection of less effective AMF. The application of selected AMF as a biofertilizer may represent an innovative ecosustainable practice for improving the crop profitability for growers while reducing the need for P fertilization.     

Effect of Azospirillum inoculants on arbuscular mycorrhiza establishment in wheat and maize plants

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi represent two main groups of beneficial microorganisms of the rhizosphere. The role of different strains of Azospirillum on AM fungi development was evaluated by measuring the percentage of AM colonisation of the root system in durum wheat and maize plants, grown under both greenhouse and field conditions. The effect of wild-type Azospirillum brasilense strain Sp245 and genetically modified (GM) derivatives overproducing indole-3-acetic acid was assessed at greenhouse level in (1) three different cultivars of durum wheat, in the presence of indigenous AM fungi and (2) maize plants artificially inoculated with Glomus mosseae and Glomus macrocarpum. In addition, the establishment of natural AM fungal symbiosis was evaluated using Azospirillum lipoferum CRT1 in maize plants at field level. Despite the stimulatory effect of the different Azospirillum inocula on root growth, no significant differences in AM colonisation were found, independently of the AM fungus involved, either in wheat or in maize plants. Similarly, GM A. brasilense, which strongly stimulates root development, did not affect AM formation. Although these results were obtained in conditions in which the mycorrhization rate was moderate (15–30%), overall considered they indicate that the use of wild-type or GM Azospirillum phytostimulators does not alter mycorrhization.     

Field Performance and Essential Oil Production of Mycorrhizal Rosemary in Restoration Low‐Nutrient Soils

The establishment and growth of Rosmarinus officinalis L. under field conditions in two low‐nutrient‐content soils were evaluated, as well as the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi on essential oil production. The reclamation was conducted in two experimental sites: a limestone quarry and a wasteland soil, both surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation. Mycorrhizal R. officinalis plants inoculated with different AM fungal isolates were used to revegetate the sites. Pre‐transplant inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi resulted in an increased survival of R. officinalis with similar results in both experimental areas. Mycorrhizal inoculation enhanced plant growth, increased essential oil yield and improved the establishment of plants under field conditions. The results indicate that the presence of the symbiosis can accelerate plant growth and alter the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, thus improving the yield of medicinal plant extracts. It also confirmed the importance of selecting plant/symbiont combinations adapted to the environmental constraints of low‐nutrient‐content soils to design a successful application of mycorrhizal technology in marginal soils. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

菌根化育苗对玉米生长和养分吸收的影响

【目的】丛枝菌根真菌(arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi,AMF)侵染作物根系形成菌根共生体系对于作物吸收磷具有重要作用,但该结果大多来源于室内受控试验,有限的田间试验因环境条件、试验材料与接种技术等差异致使AMF菌剂应用效果不一。本研究通过玉米菌根化育苗和田间移栽,分析了接种AMF对玉米生长、养分吸收、籽粒产量及养分含量的影响,以期推进菌根技术的实际生产应用。【方法】以自交品系玉米B73为供试作物,于2018年5月至10月在北京市延庆区进行了田间试验。田间小区设置基施磷(+P)和不施磷(–P)处理。供试AMF为Rhizophagus irregularis Schenck&Smith BGC AH01。玉米种子催芽后,分别播入加入AMF菌剂(+M)和菌剂过滤液(–M)的育苗钵内,培养两周后移栽至田间。玉米在田间条件下生长至拔节期时,使用便携式光合仪测定叶片光合速率与气孔导度,取样测定地上部与根部干重和养分元素含量,同时测定菌根侵染率;在玉米完熟期取样,测定籽粒百粒重、籽粒产量及养分含量。【结果】无论田间施磷与否,接菌植株根系的菌根侵染强度和丛枝丰度均显著高于不接菌植株。不施磷情况下,+M处理显著提高了玉米根系干重,玉米生长的菌根依赖性(163.7%)显著高于施磷情形(124.1%)。–P–M处理玉米叶片的光合速率和气孔导度显著低于其他3个处理。–P+M处理玉米叶片的光合参数、玉米地上部和根部磷含量与+P+M均无显著差异。与–P–M处理相比,–P+M显著提高了玉米籽粒产量和百粒重,同时也提高了籽粒中锌、锰、镁等矿质养分的含量,且与+P+M处理相比均无显著差异。【结论】玉米幼苗接种AMF后再移栽到田间,可以显著提高拔节期玉米根系的菌根侵染率,促进玉米地上部和根部对磷及锌、锰和镁的吸收,进而促进玉米的生长,提高籽粒产量和养分含量。本试验条件下,菌根化育苗可以达到与施磷同样的效果,在保障作物不减产的前提下减少磷肥施用量。     

Effect of indigenous mycorrhizal colonization on phosphorus‐acquisition efficiency in soybean and sunflower

Despite a general consent about the beneficial contribution of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on natural ecosystems, there is an intense debate about their role in agricultural systems. In this work, soybean (Glycine max L.) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) field plots with different P availabilities were sampled across the Pampean Region of Argentina (> 150 samples from Mollisols) to characterize the relationship between available soil P and indigenous mycorrhizal colonization. A subsequent pot experiment with soybean and sunflower was carried out to evaluate the effect of P supply (0, 12, and 52 mg P kg^–1) and AMF inoculation on AMF colonization and crop responsiveness to P in a Mollisol. Both crops showed high AMF colonization in the field (average: 55% for soybean and 44% for sunflower). While mycorrhizal colonization in soybean was significantly and negatively related to available soil P, no such trends were apparent in sunflower. Also, total biomass was 3.5 and 2.0 times higher in mycorrhizal than in nonmycorrhizal pot‐grown soybean under low‐ and medium‐P conditions, respectively. Sunflower, on the other hand, did not benefit from AMF symbiosis under medium and high P supply. While mycorrhization stimulated P‐uptake efficiency in soybean, the generally high P efficiency in sunflower was not associated with AMF symbiosis.