New research shows bacteria are needed to allow mycorrhizal fungi to harvest phosphorus (and then provide to plant roots).
This subtlety that fungi aren’t directly accessing the phosphorus might impact the way we design polycultures. At the very least, sellers of mycorrhizal innoculants would want to add the appropriate bacteria.
Questions:
Are the required bacteria ubiquitous so we don’t practically have to consider them in design?
Can we design not just for awesome fungal soil, but promote the associated bacteria simultaneously?
Given this is about phosphorus harvesting, will this change the conversation around around the time when half of the mineable phosphorus remains?
Enjoy!
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Media digest
https://www.iflscience.com/environment/most-plants-depend-on-a-fungibacteria-relationship-weve-been-overlooking/
Original journal article published 2021-03-01
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-021-00920-2
