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Published on: June 14, 2024
Effects of plant roots and arbuscular mycorrhizas on soil phosphorus leaching
Cuc T K Tran1, Stephanie J Watts-Williams2, Ronald J Smernik1
1The Waite Research Institute and The School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.
Abstract:
While the impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on phosphorus (P) uptake is well understood, the mechanism(s) of how these fungi affect P leaching from soil is still unclear. Here we present results of a study in which we grew a mycorrhiza-defective tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) genotype (named rmc) and its mycorrhizal wild-type progenitor (named 76R) in microcosms containing non-sterile soil, to examine the influence of roots and AMF on P leaching. More P was leached from the planted microcosms as compared to the plant-free controls. Further, although there was more plant biomass and greater P uptake in the mycorrhizal plant treatments, these treatments were associated with the most leaching of total P, reactive P, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). There was a strong correlation between the total P and DOC leached, suggesting that root and fungal exudates may have affected P leaching. These findings provide new insights into the impact of roots and AMF on nutrient leaching in soils.
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