Arbuscular mycorrhizal growth responses and phosphorous efficiency in soybean genotypes

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a key role in phosphate (P) uptake of many crop species, but the mechanisms by which P uptake in the AM symbiosis is controlled are only poorly understood.

Close-up of High Oleic Soybean Pods. Image by United Soybean Board.

Wang et al. examined the effects of the phosphate acquisition efficiency (PAE) of soybean plants on P uptake and transport via the plant and mycorrhizal uptake pathway and demonstrate here that also soybeans with a higher PAE can highly benefit from an AM symbiosis, and that mycorrhizal P uptake benefits are much more determined by the AM fungal species than by the PAE of the host.