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Foraging capability of extraradical mycelium of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to soil phosphorus patches and evidence of carry-over effect on new host plant

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Abstract

Background and aims

The foraging capability of extraradical mycelium (ERM) of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi to high soil phosphorus (P) supply and carry-over effect of ERM on new host plants remain to be explored. This study investigated whether the inhibition of ERM at high P supply varies between fungal species and whether ERM have carry-over effects when they encounter new hosts.

Methods

A two-compartment device was designed to spatially separate hyphae from host roots and the carry-over effect was investigated using two-stage growth experiments. P fertilizers were applied only to hyphal compartments at a gradient of 0, 35, 150, 300, or 1,000 mg P∙kg−1. Maize plants were inoculated with Glomus mosseae, Rhizophagus irregularis or remained uninoculated.

Results

The biomass of G. mosseae in the hyphal compartment was on average higher than that of R. irregularis and the difference was greater at the second harvest. The biomass of G. mosseae increased slightly at P35 and thereafter decreased significantly with increasing P level. The biomass of R. irregularis increased slightly at P35 and did not differ significantly at higher P levels from that at P0. In general, inoculation significantly increased the biomass and P uptake of donor and receiver plants. The mycorrhizal growth responsiveness (MGR) and mycorrhizal phosphorus responsiveness (MPR) of both donor and receiver plants decreased at higher P supply level. The ratios of MGR and MPR between donor and receiver plants were close to 1 for both fungal species and were independent of P level. Inoculation with R. irregularis significantly enhanced root P uptake efficiency and alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) in both donor and receiver plants across all P levels.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that fungal species differ in their responses to soil P availability. R. irregularis was less sensitive to soil P gradients, and compensated for growth promotion and P uptake of the host by increasing ALP and root P uptake efficiency. The carry-over effects of ERM imply that the maintenance of mycorrhizal networks is of particular importance in intensive agricultural ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the State Key Basic Research and Development Plan of China (2013CB127402), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 31272251, 31071872, 31121062), and the Ph.D. Program Foundation of the Ministry of Education of China (20100008110003). We thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Resources, Environmental and Food Security, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University; Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100193, China

    Chaoyuan Zheng, Shanshan Jiang & Junling Zhang

  2. Shanxi Estate Development Service Corporation, Xian, Shanxi, 710075, China

    Miaomiao Chai

  3. Institute of Plant Nutrition and Resources, Beijing Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, 100097, China

    Shubin Zhang

  4. College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China

    Peter Christie

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  1. Chaoyuan Zheng
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  2. Miaomiao Chai
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  6. Junling Zhang
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Correspondence to Junling Zhang.

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Responsible Editor: Timothy Cavagnaro.

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Zheng, C., Chai, M., Jiang, S. et al. Foraging capability of extraradical mycelium of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to soil phosphorus patches and evidence of carry-over effect on new host plant. Plant Soil 387, 201–217 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2286-3

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