<
https://theconversation.com/if-plants-can-pick-fungi-to-help-fight-pests-and-diseases-it-opens-a-door-to-greener-farming-and-ecosystem-recovery-221994>
"Just beneath your feet, an ancient and silent alliance endures. This alliance
between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is one of the oldest
biological partnerships on Earth.
Going back almost half-a-billion years, this relationship paved the way for
plants to make it onto land. These early plants, simple and without the complex
root systems of plants today, forged an alliance with fungi. This alliance has
been instrumental to the evolution of plant life and has helped shape our
ecosystems.
These fungi grow into roots where the plants supply them with the carbon (as
sugar and fat) they need to survive. The fungi extend thin root-like threads
called mycelia into the soil to make expansive networks that can access
nutrients beyond the reach of plant roots.
But these hidden microbes do more than just help plants get nutrients. Plants
are constantly dealing with insect pests and diseases, and have done for a long
time. To deal with this, they evolved sophisticated defences. AM fungi can
dramatically enhance these defences.
So could plants be picking their fungal allies based on their ability to
enhance defences against pests and diseases? We recently explored this question
and proposed hypotheses around how this could happen. The answer could have
huge implications for making agriculture more sustainable."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
