Agricultural management and pesticide use reduce the functioning of beneficial plant symbionts

• Published in: Nature ecology & evolution Vol. 6; no. 8; pp. 1145 - 1154
• Main Authors: Edlinger, Anna, Garland, Gina, Hartman, Kyle, Banerjee, Samiran, Degrune, Florine, García-Palacios, Pablo, Hallin, Sara, Valzano-Held, Alain, Herzog, Chantal, Jansa, Jan, Kost, Elena, Maestre, Fernando T., Pescador, David Sánchez, Philippot, Laurent, Rillig, Matthias C., Romdhane, Sana, Saghaï, Aurélien, Spor, Ayme, Frossard, Emmanuel, van der Heijden, Marcel G. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.08.2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature
• Subjects: 631/158/2456; 631/449/2676; 704/158/2445; Agricultural ecosystems; Agricultural land; Agricultural management; Agricultural Science; Agriculture; Agrochemicals; Arbuscular mycorrhizas; Biological and Physical Anthropology; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ecology; Ekologi; Evolutionary Biology; Farm buildings; Fungi; Fungicides; Grasslands; Greenhouses; Jordbruksvetenskap; Land use; Life Sciences; Mycorrhizae; Nutrient uptake; Paleontology; Pesticides; Phosphorus; Plant growth; Plants - microbiology; Radioisotopes; Soil; Soil Microbiology; Soil microorganisms; Soils; Symbionts; Zoology
• ISSN: 2397-334X; 2397-334X
• DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01799-8

Phosphorus (P) acquisition is key for plant growth. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) help plants acquire P from soil. Understanding which factors drive AMF-supported nutrient uptake is essential to develop more sustainable agroecosystems. Here we collected soils from 150 cereal fields and 60 non-cropped grassland sites across a 3,000 km trans-European gradient. In a greenhouse experiment, we tested the ability of AMF in these soils to forage for the radioisotope 33 P from a hyphal compartment. AMF communities in grassland soils were much more efficient in acquiring 33 P and transferred 64% more 33 P to plants compared with AMF in cropland soils. Fungicide application best explained hyphal 33 P transfer in cropland soils. The use of fungicides and subsequent decline in AMF richness in croplands reduced 33 P uptake by 43%. Our results suggest that land-use intensity and fungicide use are major deterrents to the functioning and natural nutrient uptake capacity of AMF in agroecosystems. Combining field data and greenhouse experiments, the authors show how agricultural management practices like fungicide applications can affect the degree to which arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soil provision phosphorus to plants.