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Published on: May 5, 2023
Isolate identity determines plant tolerance to pathogen attack in assembled mycorrhizal communities
Thaddeus J Lewandowski1, Kari E Dunfield, Pedro M Antunes
1Invasive Species Research Institute and Biology Department, Algoma University, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada.
Plos One
|April 27, 2013
Summary
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can protect plants from root pathogens. The specific AMF isolate, not the diversity, determined the level of protection against the pathogen Rhizoctonia solani.
Area of Science:
- Plant pathology
- Mycology
- Symbiotic interactions
Background:
- Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form mutualistic symbioses with plants, receiving photosynthates for enhanced nutrient acquisition and growth.
- While AMF are known to improve plant growth and nutrient uptake, their role in enhancing host tolerance to pathogens is less understood.
- The impact of AMF diversity on plant disease resistance is unclear, despite a known correlation between AMF richness and plant productivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if different AMF isolates differentially protect plants against a root pathogen.
- To determine if a higher diversity of AMF isolates confers greater pathogen tolerance.
- To assess if changes in root architecture mediated by AMF contribute to improved disease tolerance.
Main Methods:
- A growth chamber experiment using oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) exposed to three AMF isolates and the pathogen Rhizoctonia solani.
- Plants were subjected to all combinations of AMF isolates and pathogen treatments to assess biomass changes.
- Root architecture was analyzed to evaluate AMF-mediated mechanisms of disease tolerance.
Main Results:
- The pathogen Rhizoctonia solani caused significant reductions in shoot (81%) and root (70%) biomass.
- AMF inoculation substantially mitigated the pathogen's negative effects, with mycorrhizal plants showing 91% more shoot and 72% more root biomass compared to non-mycorrhizal, pathogen-infected plants.
- The identity of the AMF isolate was a stronger predictor of host tolerance than the richness of AMF species, and AMF did not alter root architecture to confer tolerance.
Conclusions:
- AMF communities can significantly enhance plant tolerance to root pathogens.
- The efficacy of AMF in disease mitigation is primarily dependent on the specific capabilities of individual AMF isolates.
- AMF-mediated improvements in plant disease tolerance do not appear to be driven by alterations in root architecture.
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