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Why farmers should manage the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis
Author(s) -
Rillig Matthias C.,
AguilarTrigueros Carlos A.,
Camenzind Tessa,
Cavagnaro Timothy R.,
Degrune Florine,
Hohmann Pierre,
Lammel Daniel R.,
Mansour India,
Roy Julien,
Heijden Marcel G. A.,
Yang Gaowen
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.15602
Subject(s) - symbiosis , arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi , biology , arbuscular mycorrhizal , mycorrhizal fungi , glomeromycota , agronomy , agroforestry , botany , inoculation , horticulture , bacteria , genetics
The Tansley review by Ryan & Graham (2018) provided a welcome critical perspective on the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in large‐scale industrial agriculture, with a focus on cereals (wheat, Triticum aestivum). They conclude that there is little evidence that farmers should consider the abundance or diversity of AM fungi when managing crops. We welcome many of the points made in the paper, as they give an opportunity for self‐reflection, considering that the importance of AM fungi in agroecosystems is often taken for granted. However, we suggest that it is too early to draw the overall conclusion that the management of AM fungi by farmers is currently not warranted. We offer the following points to contribute to the discussion. The first point pertains to the overall focus of Ryan & Graham (2018), which strongly determines the recommendations at which the authors arrive. This scope is limited to yield, at the expense of neglecting aspects of sustainability. We then argue that AM fungal communities do respond negatively to aspects of agricultural management, and list evidence for their positive effects to agronomically important traits, including yield in cereals. In our final argument, we advocate for transitioning to agroecosystems that are more AM compatible in order to increasingly take advantage of all the potential services these ancient symbionts, and other soil biota, can provide.