Symbiotic Interactions between Mycorrhizae and Root in Different Conditions of Nitrogen

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Protection and Biotic Interactions".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2022) | Viewed by 2281

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Department of Agriculture, Environment and Food, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Interests: plant physiology; mineral nutrients; mycorrhizal symbiosis in nutrient uptake; regulation of the development of mycorrhiza in plants; plant nutrition; nitrogen metabolism; nitrogen nutrition; nitrogen use efficiency
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Dear Colleagues,

As is well known, after carbon, nitrogen is the most important macronutrient for plant metabolism and is a key component of amino acids, which form the building blocks for plant proteins and enzymes. In this field, the cause of nutrient deficiency in a plant can occur when the rapid absorption of soil solutes occurs, there is low nutrient concentration, a low diffusion rate or low soil moisture. These conditions occur very frequently; in this way, most plants rely on mycorrhizal fungi to facilitate the absorption of minerals from soil. Mycorrhizae form symbiotic associations with the roots of plants, which allows them to integrate into the physical structure of the root through interesting biomolecular mechanisms. As is well known, some studies have shown that endomycorrhization not only captures mineral nutrients from the soil that are inaccessible to the plant, but in particular, with regard to nitrogen, endomycorrhization transfers it to the roots in an assimilable form, such as ammonium or even as amino acid. Many studies in molecular biology and biochemistry have revealed the value, functionality and strategic advantages of mycorrhizal symbiosis. This basic research regarding a small number of AMF species and only a few completely sequenced genomes is the foundation of applied research that is beginning to produce encouraging results in the agronomic field. Future progress in the utilization of plant–fungi symbiosis for agriculture, horticulture, arboriculture and silviculture will depend on improving current knowledge through:

  • A deeper understanding of how AMF function;
  • The selection of AMF strains that differ in their ability to provide mineral nutrition and vegetative development with a greater number of plant species;
  • The development of new AMF mixtures to cover a wider range of plant species;
  • The development of technologies that allow the massive cultivation of AMF at low production costs.

Progress in these four areas of plant–fungi symbiosis technology can lead to the molecular engineering of AMF and their associated microorganisms and plant species. Applied research utilizing these improved AMF and associated microorganisms to improve plant–fungi symbiosis in modern crop production systems has the potential to increase the yield and crop quality of a wide range of economically valuable plant species.

Dr. Catello Di Martino
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis
  • soil
  • organisms
  • plant microbiome
  • cell responses
  • interface
  • signals
  • exudates
  • rhizosphere
  • nitrogen
  • phosphate
  • nutrient exchange
  • transport and metabolism in mycorrhizal roots
  • regulatory mechanism
  • transcription factor
  • transcriptomics

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

12 pages, 319 KiB  
Article
Influence of Nitrogen Application Rate on the Importance of NO3-N and NH4+-N Transfer via Extramycelia of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza to Tomato with Expression of LeNRT2.3 and LeAMT1.1
by Xiaocan Xie, Zhe Huang, Weixing Lv, Houteng Zhu, Guoming Hui, Ronghua Li, Xihong Lei and Zhifang Li
Plants 2023, 12(2), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12020314 - 9 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1902
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form mutualistic symbiotic relationships with many land plants and play a key role in nitrogen (N) acquisition. NO3-N and NH4+-N are the main sources of soil mineral N, but how extraradical mycelial transfer [...] Read more.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form mutualistic symbiotic relationships with many land plants and play a key role in nitrogen (N) acquisition. NO3-N and NH4+-N are the main sources of soil mineral N, but how extraradical mycelial transfer affects the different N forms and levels available to tomato plants is not clear. In the present study, we set up hyphal compartments (HCs) to study the efficiency of N transfer from the extramycelium to tomato plants treated with different N forms and levels of fertilization. Labeled 15NO3-N or 15NH4+-N was placed in hyphal compartments under high and low N application levels. 15N accumulation in shoots and the expression of LeNRT2.3, LeAMT1.1, and LeAMT1.2 in the roots of tomato were measured. According to our results, both 15NO3-N and 15NH4+-N were transported via extraradical mycelia to the shoots of plants. 15N accumulation in shoots was similar, regardless of the N form, while a higher 15N concentration was found in shoots with low N application. Compared with the control, inoculation with AMF significantly increased the expression of LeAMT1.1 under high N and LeNRT2.3 under low N. The expression of LeAMT1.1 under high N was significantly increased when NO3N was added, while the expression of LeNRT2.3 was significantly increased when NH4+-N was added under low N. Taken together, our results suggest that the N transfer by extraradical mycelia is crucial for the acquisition of both NO3-N and NH4+-N by the tomato plant; however, partial N accumulation in plant tissue is more important with N deficiency compared with a higher N supply. The expression of N transporters was influenced by both the form and level of N supply. Full article
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