Mixing root fungi can help or hurt tomatoes in surprising ways
Mycorrhizal Networks
Soil inoculants sold for your tomato bed often blend several mycorrhizal species, and this research shows a blend can behave differently from any one of its ingredients, so a product's mix matters as much as its label claims.
Scientists grew small tomato plants with beneficial root fungi, either one species at a time or in mixed groups, then exposed them to a soil disease that rots roots. The mixes didn't behave the way the single species did: some worked better together, some worked worse, and some protected plants even though their individual members hadn't. You can't guess how a fungal team will perform just by knowing its players.
Key Findings
Five single fungal isolates and six community combinations were tested on Micro-Tom tomato plants exposed to the root pathogen Rhizoctonia solani.
Community effects on growth and defence ranged from additive to synergistic to antagonistic, and often differed from predictions based on single-isolate results.
Several communities reduced pathogen-related biomass loss, including some containing isolates previously classified as ineffective at inducing resistance.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Mixing several beneficial root fungi doesn't reliably add up to better tomato plants. In tests with Micro-Tom tomatoes facing a root-rot pathogen, fungal mixes sometimes helped, sometimes backfired, and some even protected plants when their individual members hadn't.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Community-level AM fungal interactions lead to unexpected growth and disease outcomes in tomato
Abstract Background and Aims Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can enhance plant growth and resistance to pathogens through Mycorrhiza-Induced Resistance (MIR). While individual AM fungal species d...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Targeted knockout of a host peroxisomal peptidase confers field resistance to...
The corn in your grocery store and the staple food keeping millions of East African families fed is under serious threat from a viral disease that can wipe o...
The tomato is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from western South America, and may have been domesticated there, in Mexico, or in Central America. Th...