Prerequisites and approaches for integrating root-endophytic fungi in plant production systems

Current and future challenges for horticultural plant production systems are driven by the need to reduce mineral fertilizers, synthetic plant protection agents and growth regulators by sustainable management strategies which are accepted by the critical consumer and which agree to new rules and regulations set by national politics.
The knowledge-based application of beneficial microorganisms will be an integral element of such strategies.
Root-colonizing fungi play a special role by their ability to impact not only the plant, but also its terrestrial surrounding and by connecting root and soil with their hyphal networks.
Ecosystem services of such fungi providing improved plant nutrition, plant health and plant product quality are manifold, but a successful application of root-associated fungi is often limited due to particular constraints.
Here, we describe the prerequisites for overcoming these constraints.
This comprises the plant genotype, the formulation of inocula and the importance of suitable conditions for the application.
In this concept paper, two new approaches are presented.
One is based on the plasticity of microorganisms which can be used to acclimatize them to particular challenges.
The second concerns the interaction between different microorganisms in the rhizosphere of plants.
We discuss bottom-up and top-down approaches for using these interactions to formulate a new generation of inocula.

IV International Symposium on Horticulture in Europe – SHE2021

K. Burow, J. Brandes, P. Franken

root-colonizing fungi, inoculum production, plant nutrition, plant health

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2021.1327.69