Feeding a fungus before planting boosts corn growth and health
Larsen J, Efthymiou A, Nicolaisen MH, Jensen B, Nybroe O
Mycorrhizal Networks
If you've ever wondered why a bagged 'beneficial fungi' soil product didn't seem to do much in your garden, this points to the fix: giving the fungus food and minerals before it meets your soil dramatically improves its odds of actually taking hold.
Scientists took a fungus known for unlocking phosphorus from soil and gave it a week-long head start, feeding it sugar-like cellulose plus phosphorus from either sewage sludge ash or a mineral source, before mixing it into real farm soil with corn seeds. The pre-fed fungus helped corn plants grow bigger, absorb more nutrients, team up better with helpful mycorrhizal fungi, and resist a root-infecting disease, no matter which phosphorus source was used. The sewage sludge ash version worked especially well, showing that how you introduce a beneficial microbe matters just as much as which microbe you use.
Key Findings
Pre-activated Penicillium aculeatum inoculation increased maize shoot and root growth, nutrient content, and AMF root colonization regardless of phosphorus source used.
Root infection by the pathogen Microdochium bolleyi decreased with P. aculeatum inoculation, and sewage sludge ash specifically further reduced infection while boosting fungal population density.
Sewage sludge ash produced stronger growth and nutrient benefits than Ca3(PO4)2, though neither phosphorus source affected AMF root colonization on its own.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Priming a beneficial fungus with cellulose and phosphorus-rich sewage sludge ash before adding it to soil helped maize grow bigger, take up more nutrients, and fend off a common root disease, offering a more reliable way to make soil microbe treatments actually work in real farm conditions.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Penicillium aculeatum pre-activated with cellulose and different phosphorus sources promotes maize growth, nutrition and mycorrhiza formation, and decreases Microdochium bolleyi root infection.
Microbial plant growth promoters often perform inconsistently under natural soil conditions most likely due to their poor establishment after inoculation. Here, we conducted a growth chamber pot ex...
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