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. 2020 Jan 30;100(2):803-810.
doi: 10.1002/jsfa.10088. Epub 2019 Nov 21.

Showing their mettle: extraradical mycelia of arbuscular mycorrhizae form a metal filter to improve host Al tolerance and P nutrition

Alex Seguel  1   2 , Felix Meier  3 , Rosario Azcón  4 , Alex Valentine  5 , Cristian Meriño-Gergichevich  1 , Pablo Cornejo  1   2 , Paula Aguilera  1   2 , Fernando Borie  2   6
Affiliations

Showing their mettle: extraradical mycelia of arbuscular mycorrhizae form a metal filter to improve host Al tolerance and P nutrition

Alex Seguel et al. J Sci Food Agric. .

Abstract

Background: New evidence has shown that arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can contribute to the aluminum (Al3+ ) tolerance of host plants growing in acidic soils with phytotoxic levels of Al3+ . The aim of this study was to investigate the role of AM fungi isolated from naturally occurring Al3+ acidic soils in conferring host tolerance to Al3+ toxicity in three wheat cultivars differing in Al3+ sensitivity. The experiment was conducted in a soilless substrate (vermiculite/perlite, 2:1 v/v) using two Al3+ -tolerant wheat genotypes and one Al3+ -sensitive wheat genotype. The wheat was colonized with a consortium of AM fungi isolated from an Andisol, with or without Al3+ at a concentration of 200 μmol L-1 .

Results: The response of wheat to Al3+ in the medium was dependent on both the plant genotype and AM colonization. The benefits of the AM fungi to the wheat cultivars included an increased P concentration and relatively low Al3+ accumulation in the plants. This was achieved through two mechanisms. First, the metal-chelating capacity of the AM fungi was clear in two of the cultivars ('Tukan' and 'Porfiado'), in which the enhanced extraradical mycelium development was able to retain Al3+ in the glomalin and hyphae. Second, the increased AM-induced acid phosphatase activity in the rhizosphere of the other cultivar ('Atlas 66') increased host nutrition possibly by hyphae-mediated nutrient uptake and glomalin-related soil protein.

Conclusion: The results suggest that the role of AM fungi in cultivar-specific Al3+ detoxification can be achieved by increased extraradical mycelial filters and enhanced bioavailability of P in the host rhizosphere. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Keywords: AM colonization; Al toxicity; P uptake; wheat genotypes.

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References

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