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Sharma V, Sharma DP, Salwan R. Surviving the stress: Understanding the molecular basis of plant adaptations and uncovering the role of mycorrhizal association in plant abiotic stresses. Microb Pathog 2024; 193:106772. [PMID: 38969183 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2024.106772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024]
Abstract
Environmental stresses severely impair plant growth, resulting in significant crop yield and quality loss. Among various abiotic factors, salt and drought stresses are one of the major factors that affect the nutrients and water uptake by the plants, hence ultimately various physiological aspects of the plants that compromises crop yield. Continuous efforts have been made to investigate, dissect and improve plant adaptations at the molecular level in response to drought and salinity stresses. In this context, the plant beneficial microbiome presents in the rhizosphere, endosphere, and phyllosphere, also referred as second genomes of the plant is well known for its roles in plant adaptations. Exploration of beneficial interaction of fungi with host plants known as mycorrhizal association is one such special interaction that can facilitates the host plants adaptations. Mycorrhiza assist in alleviating the salinity and drought stresses of plants via redistributing the ion imbalance through translocation to different parts of the plants, as well as triggering oxidative machinery. Mycorrhiza association also regulates the level of various plant growth regulators, osmolytes and assists in acquiring minerals that are helpful in plant's adaptation against extreme environmental stresses. The current review examines the role of various plant growth regulators and plants' antioxidative systems, followed by mycorrhizal association during drought and salt stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivek Sharma
- University Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Gharuan, Mohali PB 140413, India.
| | - D P Sharma
- College of Horticulture and Forestry (Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry), Neri, Hamirpur, H.P 177 001, India
| | - Richa Salwan
- College of Horticulture and Forestry (Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry), Neri, Hamirpur, H.P 177 001, India.
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Abrar M, Zhu Y, Maqsood Ur Rehman M, Batool A, Duan HX, Ashraf U, Aqeel M, Gong XF, Peng YN, Khan W, Wang ZY, Xiong YC. Functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi varies across different growth stages of maize under drought conditions. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 213:108839. [PMID: 38879986 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Physio-biochemical regulations governing crop growth period are pivotal for drought adaptation. Yet, the extent to which functionality of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) varies across different stages of maize growth under drought conditions remains uncertain. Therefore, periodic functionality of two different AM fungi i.e., Rhizophagus irregularis SUN16 and Glomus monosporum WUM11 were assessed at jointing, silking, and pre-harvest stages of maize subjected to different soil moisture gradients i.e., well-watered (80% SMC (soil moisture contents)), moderate drought (60% SMC), and severe drought (40% SMC). The study found that AM fungi significantly (p < 0.05) affected various morpho-physiological and biochemical parameters at different growth stages of maize under drought. As the plants matured, AM fungi enhanced root colonization, glomalin contents, and microbial biomass, leading to increased nutrient uptake and antioxidant activity. This boosted AM fungal activity ultimately improved photosynthetic efficiency, evident in increased photosynthetic pigments and photosynthesis. Notably, R. irregularis and G. monosporum improved water use efficiency and mycorrhizal dependency at critical growth stages like silking and pre-harvest, indicating their potential for drought resilience to stabilize yield. The principal component analysis highlighted distinct plant responses to drought across growth stages and AM fungi, emphasizing the importance of early-stage sensitivity. These findings underscore the potential of incorporating AM fungi into agricultural management practices to enhance physiological and biochemical responses, ultimately improving drought tolerance and yield in dryland maize cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Abrar
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application of Gansu Province, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
| | - Muhammad Maqsood Ur Rehman
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Asfa Batool
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Hai-Xia Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, 810016, China
| | - Umair Ashraf
- Department of Botany, Division of Science and Technology, University of Education, Lahore, 54770, Punjab, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Aqeel
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Xiao-Fang Gong
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application of Gansu Province, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Yi-Nan Peng
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application of Gansu Province, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Wasim Khan
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Zhi-Ye Wang
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application of Gansu Province, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - You-Cai Xiong
- School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China; State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
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Khan W, Zhu Y, Khan A, Zhao L, Yang YM, Wang N, Hao M, Ma Y, Nepal J, Ullah F, Rehman MMU, Abrar M, Xiong YC. Above-and below-ground feedback loop of maize is jointly enhanced by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in drier soil. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 917:170417. [PMID: 38280611 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Drought is a potent abiotic stressor that arrests crop growth, significantly affecting crop health and yields. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) can offer to protect plants from stressful environments through improving water, and nutrient use efficiency by strengthening plant root structure and harnessing favorable rhizosphere environments. When Acaulospora laevis (AMF) and Bacillus subtilus (PGPR) are introduced in combination, enhanced root growth and beneficial microbial colonization can mitigate drought stress. To assess this potential, a pot experiment was done with maize (Zea mays L.) to explore the effects of A. laevis and B. subtilus under different water levels (well-watered = 80 %; moderate water stress = 55 %; and severe water stress = 35 %) on maize yield, soil microbial activities, nutrients contents, root, and leaf functioning. Plants exposed to severe drought stress hampered their root and leaf functioning, and reduced grain yield compared with control plants. Combined use of AMF and PGPR increased root colonization (104.6 %-113.2 %) and microbial biomass carbon (36.38 %-40.23 %) under moderate to severe drought conditions over control. Higher root colonization was strongly linked with elevated ACC (aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid) production, subsequently enhancing water use efficiency (21.62 %-12.77 %), root hydraulic conductivity (1.9 %-1.4 %) and root nutrient uptake under moderate to severe drought conditions. Enhanced nutrient uptake further promoted leaf photosynthetic rate by 27.3 %-29.8 % under moderate and severe drought stress. Improving leaf and root physiological functioning enhanced maize grain yield under stressful environments. Furthermore, co-inoculation with AMF-PGPR reduced cellular damage by lowering oxidative enzyme levels and increasing antioxidative enzyme activities, improving plant performance and grain yield under stressful environments. Conclusively, the synergistic interaction of AMF with PGPR ensured plant stress tolerance by reducing cellular injury, facilitating root-leaf functioning, enhancing nutrient-water-use-efficiencies, and increasing yield under drought stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wasim Khan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources Exploitation and Application, Institute of Biology, Gansu Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
| | - Aziz Khan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Ling Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Yu-Miao Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Ning Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Meng Hao
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Yue Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Jaya Nepal
- Department of Soil, Water & Ecosystem Sciences, Indian River Research Center, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL, USA
| | - Fazal Ullah
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Muhammad Maqsood Ur Rehman
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - Muhammad Abrar
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
| | - You-Cai Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agroecosystems, School of Life Sciences/College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
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Sun W, Shahrajabian MH. The Application of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi as Microbial Biostimulant, Sustainable Approaches in Modern Agriculture. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:3101. [PMID: 37687348 PMCID: PMC10490045 DOI: 10.3390/plants12173101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Biostimulant application can be considered an effective, practical, and sustainable nutritional crop supplementation and may lessen the environmental problems related to excessive fertilization. Biostimulants provide beneficial properties to plants by increasing plant metabolism, which promotes crop yield and improves the quality of crops; protecting plants against environmental stresses such as water shortage, soil salinization, and exposure to sub-optimal growth temperatures; and promoting plant growth via higher nutrient uptake. Other important benefits include promoting soil enzymatic and microbial activities, changing the architecture of roots, increasing the solubility and mobility of micronutrients, and enhancing the fertility of the soil, predominantly by nurturing the development of complementary soil microbes. Biostimulants are classified as microbial, such as arbuscular mycorrhizae fungi (AMF), plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), non-pathogenic fungi, protozoa, and nematodes, or non-microbial, such as seaweed extract, phosphite, humic acid, other inorganic salts, chitin and chitosan derivatives, protein hydrolysates and free amino acids, and complex organic materials. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are among the most prominent microbial biostimulants and have an important role in cultivating better, healthier, and more functional foods in sustainable agriculture. AMF assist plant nutrient and water acquisition; enhance plant stress tolerance against salinity, drought, and heavy metals; and reduce soil erosion. AMF are proven to be a sustainable and environmentally friendly source of crop supplements. The current manuscript gives many examples of the potential of biostimulants for the production of different crops. However, further studies are needed to better understand the effectiveness of different biostimulants in sustainable agriculture. The review focuses on how AMF application can overcome nutrient limitations typical of organic systems by improving nutrient availability, uptake, and assimilation, consequently reducing the gap between organic and conventional yields. The aim of this literature review is to survey the impacts of AMF by presenting case studies and successful paradigms in different crops as well as introducing the main mechanisms of action of the different biostimulant products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenli Sun
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-13-4260-83836
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Sardans J, Lambers H, Preece C, Alrefaei AF, Penuelas J. Role of mycorrhizas and root exudates in plant uptake of soil nutrients (calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium): has the puzzle been completely solved? THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2023. [PMID: 36917083 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic global change is driving an increase in the frequency and intensity of drought and flood events, along with associated imbalances and limitation of several soil nutrients. In the context of an increasing human population, these impacts represent a global-scale challenge for biodiversity conservation and sustainable crop production to ensure food security. Plants have evolved strategies to enhance uptake of soil nutrients under environmental stress conditions; for example, symbioses with fungi (mycorrhization) in the rhizosphere and the release of exudates from roots. Although crop cultivation is managed for the effects of limited availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), there is increasing evidence for limitation of plant growth and fitness because of the low availability of other soil nutrients such as the metals potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and iron (Fe), which may become increasingly limiting for plant productivity under global change. The roles of mycorrhizas and plant exudates on N and P uptake have been studied intensively; however, our understanding of the effects on metal nutrients is less clear and still inconsistent. Here, we review the literature on the role of mycorrhizas and root exudates in plant uptake of key nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe) in the context of potential nutrient deficiencies in crop and non-crop terrestrial ecosystems, and identify knowledge gaps for future research to improve nutrient-uptake capacity in food crop plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Sardans
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Hans Lambers
- School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
- Department of Plant Nutrition, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
- National Academy of Agriculture Green Development, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
- Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Catherine Preece
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
- Sustainability in Biosystems Program, Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Torre Marimon, E-08140, Caldes de Montbui, Spain
| | - Abdulwahed Fahad Alrefaei
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Josep Penuelas
- CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Bellaterra, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain
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Yuan J, Shi K, Zhou X, Wang L, Xu C, Zhang H, Zhu G, Si C, Wang J, Zhang Y. Interactive impact of potassium and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the root morphology and nutrient uptake of sweet potato ( Ipomoea batatas L.). Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1075957. [PMID: 36699580 PMCID: PMC9869065 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1075957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Sweet potato is a typical "potassium (K)-favoring" food crop and strongly dependent on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Recent studies show the importance of K and AMF to morphology optimization and nutrient uptake regulation of sweet potato; meanwhile, the interaction exists between K and K use efficiency (KIUE) in sweet potato. To date, only a few studies have shown that AMF can improve plant K nutrition, and whether the benefits conferred by AMF on plant are related to K remains unclear. In this study, low-KIUE genotype "N1" and high-KIUE genotype "Xu28" were used as experimental sweet potato; Funneliformis mosseae (FM) and Claroideoglomus etunicatum (CE) were used as experimental AMF. In a pot experiment, plants "N1" and "Xu28" were inoculated with FM or CE, and applied with or without K fertilizer to uncover the effects of K application and AMF inoculation on the root morphology and nutrient absorption of sweet potato during their growing period. Results demonstrated that AMF inoculation-improved root morphology of sweet potato highly relied on K application. With K application, AMF inoculation significantly increased root tip number of "N1" in the swelling stage and optimized multiple root morphological indexes (total root length, root surface area, root volume, root diameter, root branch number, and root tip number) of "Xu28" and CE had the best optimization effect on the root morphology of "Xu28". In addition, CE inoculation significantly promoted root dry matter accumulation of "Xu28" in the swelling and harvesting stages, coordinated aerial part and root growth of "Xu28", reduced the dry matter to leaf and petiole, and was beneficial to dry matter allocation to the root under conditions of K supply. Another promising finding was that CE inoculation could limit K allocation to the aboveground and promote root K accumulation of "Xu28" under the condition with K application. The above results lead to the conclusion that K and CE displayed a synergistic effect on root development and K acquisition of high-KIUE "Xu28". This study could provide a theoretical basis for more scientific application of AMF in sweet potato cultivation and will help further clarify the outcomes of plant-K-AMF interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yuan
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Envrionment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Kun Shi
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Envrionment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Xiaoyue Zhou
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Envrionment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Envrionment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Cong Xu
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Envrionment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hui Zhang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Envrionment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Guopeng Zhu
- College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Chengcheng Si
- College of Horticulture, Hainan University, Haikou, Hainan, China
| | - Jidong Wang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Envrionment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yongchun Zhang
- Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.,National Agricultural Experimental Station for Agricultural Envrionment, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Irving TB, Alptekin B, Kleven B, Ané JM. A critical review of 25 years of glomalin research: a better mechanical understanding and robust quantification techniques are required. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 232:1572-1581. [PMID: 34482540 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important contributors to both plant and soil health. Twenty-five years ago, researchers discovered 'glomalin', a soil component potentially produced by AMF, which was unconventionally extracted from soil and bound by a monoclonal antibody raised against Rhizophagus irregularis spores. 'Glomalin' can resist boiling, strong acids and bases, and protease treatment. Researchers proposed that 'glomalin' is a 60 kDa heat shock protein produced by AMF, while others suggested that it is a mixture of soil organic materials that are not unique to AMF. Despite disagreements on the nature of 'glomalin', it has been consistently associated with a long list of plant and soil health benefits, including soil aggregation, soil carbon storage and enhancing growth under abiotic stress. The benefits attributed to 'glomalin' have caused much excitement in the plant and soil health community; however, the mechanism(s) for these benefits have yet to be established. This review provides insights into the current understanding of the identity of 'glomalin', 'glomalin' quantification, and the associated benefits of 'glomalin'. We invite the community to think more critically about how glomalin-associated benefits are generated. We suggest a series of experiments to test hypotheses regarding the nature of 'glomalin' and associated health benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas B Irving
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Burcu Alptekin
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Bailey Kleven
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 430 Lincoln Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Jean-Michel Ané
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1550 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
- Department of Agronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1557 Linden Drive, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
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