Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Is there a role for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in production agriculture?

  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This review presents the point of view that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) do not play a vital role in the nutrition and growth of plants in many production-orientated agricultural systems. Highly available soil P often limits AM colonisation and causes the C-costs to the host to outweigh any benefits from colonisation. Even when P availability is low and AM colonisation levels are high, as may occur in organic and biodynamic agricultural systems, AMF may not always contribute to plant growth for reasons not yet understood. AM fungal activity may also be greatly limited by soil fumigation, non-responsive plant varieties, or rotations based primarily on non-mycorrhizal crops or crops of low AM dependency. Thus, profitability may sometimes be enhanced by management practices, such as tillage and P-fertilisation, which limit AM colonisation. Manipulation of agricultural systems to favour AMF must occur only if there is clear evidence that AMF make a positive contribution to yield or are vital for maintenance of ecosystem health and sustainability. A crucial role for AMF in soil structural stability or in enhancing micronutrient concentrations in produce may be sufficient evidence and may eventually compel consideration of AMF responsiveness when breeding new crop varieties.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Angus J F, Desmarchelier J M, Gardner P A, Green A, Hocking P J, Howe G N, Kirkegaard J A, Marcroft S, Mead A J, Pitson G D, Potter T D, Ryan M H, Sarwar M, van Herwaarden A H and Wong P T W 1999 Canola and Indian mustard as break crops for wheat. In Proceedings of the 10th International Rapeseed Congress, September 26-29, Canberra, Australia, published on CD.

  • Biermann B J and Linderman R G 1983 Increased geranium growth using preplant inoculation with a mycorrhizal fungus. J. Am. Soc. Hortic. Sci. 108, 972-976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bolland M D A and Baker M J 1988 High phosphorus concentrations in seed of wheat and annual medic are related to higher 270 rates of dry matter production of seedlings and plants. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 28, 765-770.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chellemi D O 2000 Adaptation of approaches to pest control in low input agriculture. Crop Protection 19, 855-858.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooke J W, Ford G W, Dumsday R G and Willatt S T 1985 Effect of fallowing practices on the growth and yield of wheat in southeastern Australia. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 25, 614-627.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper K M and Tinker P B 1981 Translocation and transfer of nutrients in vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas IV. Effect of environmental variables on movement of phosphorus. New Phytol. 88, 327-339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dann P R, Derrick J W, Dumaresq D C and Ryan M H 1996 The response of organic and conventionally grown wheat to superphosphate and reactive rock phosphate. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 36, 71-78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Degens B P 1997 Macro-aggregation of soils by biological bonding and binding mechanisms and the factors affecting these: a review. Aust. J. Soil Res. 35, 431-459.

    Google Scholar 

  • Douds D D, Galvez L, Becard G and Kapulnik Y 1998 Regulation of arbuscular mycorrhizal development by plant host and fungus species in alfalfa. New Phytol. 138, 27-35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans D G and Miller M H 1988 Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas and the soil-disturbance-induced reduction of nutrient absorption in maize I. Causal relations. New Phytol. 110, 67-74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galvez L, Douds D D, Drinkwater L E and Wagoner P 2001 Effect of tillage and farming system upon VAM fungus populations and mycorrhizas and nutrient uptake of maize. Plant Soil 228, 299-308.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gianinazzi S and Schüepp H 1994 Impact of Arbuscular Mycorrhizas on Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Ecosystems. Birkhauser Verlag, Basel. 226 p.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham J H 2000 Assessing costs of arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis in agroecosystems. In Current Advances in Mycorrhizal Research. Eds. G K Podila and D D Douds Jr., p 127-140. APS Press, St. Paul, MN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham J H 2001 What do root pathogens see in mycorrhizas? New Phytol. 148, 357-359.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham J H and Eissenstat D M 1998 Field evidence for carbon cost of citrus mycorrhizas. New Phytol. 140, 103-110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hetrick B A D, Wilson G W T and Cox T S 1993 Mycorrhizal dependence of modern wheat cultivars and ancestors: a synthesis. Can. J. Bot. 71, 512-518.

    Google Scholar 

  • Isbell R F 1996 The Australian Soil Classification. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. 143 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jakobsen I and Rosendahl L 1990 Carbon flow into soil and external hyphae from roots of mycorrhizal cucumber plants. New Phytol. 115, 77-83.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jakobsen I, Gazey C and Abbott L K 2001 Phosphate transport by communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in intact cores. New Phytol. 149, 95-103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jasper D A, Abbott L K and Robson A D 1991 The effect of soil disturbance on vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soils from different vegetation types. New Phytol. 118, 471-476.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahiluoto H, Ketoja E, Vestberg M, and Saarela I 2001 Promotion of AMutilization through reduced P fertilization 2. Field studies. Plant Soil 231, 65-79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirkegaard J A, Sarwar M, Wong P T W, Mead A, Howe G and Newell M 2000 Field studies on the biofumigation of take-all by Brassica break crops. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 51, 445-456.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen J and Bodker L 2001 Interactions between pea rootinhabiting fungi examined using signature fatty acids. New Phytol. 149, 487-493.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mäder P, Edenhofer S, Boller T, Wiemken A and Niggli U 2000 Arbuscular mycorrhizae in a long-term field trial comparing lowinput (organic, biological) and high-input (conventional) farming systems in a crop rotation. Biol. Fertil. Soils 31, 150-156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marschner H and Dell B 1994 Nutrient uptake in mycorrhizal symbiosis. Plant Soil 159, 89-102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller M H 2000 Arbuscular mycorrhizae and the phosphorus nutrition of maize: a review of Guelph studies. Can. J. Plant Sci. 80, 47-52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller R M and Jastrow J D 2000 Mycorrhizal fungi influence soil structure. In Arbuscular Mycorrhizas: Physiology and Function. Eds. Y Kapulnik and D D Douds. pp. 3-18. Kluwer, Dordrecht.

  • Olsen J K, Schaefer J T, Edwards D G, Hunter M N, Galea V J and Muller L M 1999a Effects of mycorrhizae, established from an existing intact network, on the growth response of capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) at five rates of applied phosphorus. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 50, 223-237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsen J K, Schaefer J T, Edwards D G, Hunter M N, Galea V J and Muller L M 1999b Effects of a network of mycorrhizae on capsicum (Capsicum annuum L.) grown in the field with five rates of applied phosphorus. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 50, 239-252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsson P A, Thingstrup I, Jakobsen I and Bååth E 1999 Estimation of the biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in a linseed field. Soil Biol. Biochem. 31, 1879-1887.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rayment G E and Higginson F R 1992 Australian Laboratory Handbook of Soil and Water Chemical Methods. Inkata Press, Melbourne. 330 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rillig M C, Hernández G Y and Newton P C D 2000 Arbuscular mycorrhizae respond to elevated atmospheric CO2 after long-term exposure: evidence from a CO2 spring in New Zealand supports the resource balance model. Ecol. Lett. 3, 475-478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan M H 1999 Is an enhanced soil biological community, relative to conventional neighbours, a consistent feature of alternative (organic and biodynamic) agricultural systems? Biol. Agric. Hort. 17, 131-144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan M H and Ash J E 1999 Effects of phosphorus and nitrogen on growth of pasture plants and VAM fungi in SE Australian soils with contrasting fertiliser histories (conventional and biodynamic). Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 73, 51-62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan M H, Chilvers G A Dumaresq D C 1994 Colonisation of wheat by VA-mycorrhizal fungi was found to be higher on a farm managed in an organic manner than on a conventional neighbour. Plant Soil 160, 33-40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan M H, Small D R and Ash J E 2000 Phosphorus controls the level of colonisation by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in conventional and biodynamic irrigated dairy pastures. Aust. J. Exp. Agric. 40, 663-670.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Díaz M and Honrubia M 1994 Water relations and alleviation of drought stress in mycorrhizal plants. In Impact of Arbuscular Mycorrhizas on Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Systems. Eds. S Gianinazzi and H Schüepp. pp. 167-178.Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scullion J, Eason W R and Scott E P 1998 The effectivity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi from high input conventional and organic grassland and grass-arable rotations. Plant Soil 204, 243-254.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simpfendorfer S, Kirkegaard J A and Heenan D P 2001 Involvement of root inhibitory Pseudomonas spp. in the poor early growth of direct drilled wheat: studies in intact cores. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 52, 845-853.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith S E, Robson A D and Abbott L K 1992 The involvement of mycorrhizas in assessment of genetically dependent efficiency of nutrient uptake and use. Plant Soil 146, 169-179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Snapp S, Koide R and Lynch J 1995 Exploitation of localized phosphorus-patches by common bean roots. Plant Soil 177, 211-218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thingstrup I, Rubæk G, Sibbesen E and Jakobsen I 1998 Flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) depends on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for growth and P uptake at intermediate but not high soil P levels in the field. Plant Soil 203, 37-46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson J P 1987 Decline of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas in long fallow disorder of field crops and its expression in phosphorus deficiency in sunflower. Aust. J. Agric. Res. 38, 847-867.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson J P 1991 Improving the mycorrhizal condition of the soil through cultural practices and effects on growth and phosphorus uptake in plants. In Phosphorus Nutrition of Grain Legumes in the Semi-Arid Tropics. Eds. C Johansen, K K Lee and K L Sahrawat. pp. 117-137. ICRISAT, Andhra Pradesh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson J P 1996 Correction of duel phosphorus and zinc deficiencies of linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.) with cultures of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Soil Biol. Biochem. 28, 941-951.

    Google Scholar 

  • Toth J D, Toth D, Starke D and Smith D R 1990 Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of Zea mays affected by breeding for resistance to fungal pathogens. Can. J. Bot. 68, 1039-1044.

    Google Scholar 

  • Welch R M and Graham R D 1999 A new paradigm for world agriculture: meeting human needs. Productive, sustainable, nutritious. Field Crops Res. 60, 1-10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright S F and Anderson R L 2000 Aggregate stability and glomalin in alternative crop rotations for the central Great Plains. Biol. Fert. Soils 31, 249-253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright S F and Upadhyaya A 1998 A survey of soils for aggregate stability and glomalin, a glycoprotein produced by hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Plant Soil 198, 97-107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright S F, Starr J L and Paltineanu I C 1999 Changes in aggregate stability and concentration of glomalin during tillage management transition. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 63, 1825-1829.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Megan H. Ryan

  2. Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL, 33850, U.S.A

    James H. Graham

Authors
  1. Megan H. Ryan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. James H. Graham
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Megan H. Ryan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ryan, M.H., Graham, J.H. Is there a role for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in production agriculture?. Plant and Soil 244, 263–271 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020207631893

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020207631893

Search

Navigation