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Arbuscular mycorrhizas modify plant responses to soil zinc addition

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Abstract

Zinc deficiency is one of the most commonly reported plant and human nutrient deficiencies worldwide. Conversely, Zn is also a common environmental contaminant, significantly reducing plant growth. These contrasting effects of Zn on plant growth and nutrition have been the focus of a considerable number of studies; however, most studies focus on plant responses to soil Zn concentration under either deficient or toxic concentrations, but not both. The formation of arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) can increase plant Zn uptake under low soil Zn concentrations, and on the other hand, ‘protect’ plants against excessive Zn accumulation under high soil Zn conditions. Here we report the findings of an experiment in which we studied the response of AM formed by tomatoes under low, medium and high soil Zn conditions. To control for the formation of AM in this study we used a mycorrhiza defective tomato mutant and its mycorrhizal wildtype progenitor. While mycorrhizal colonization was not significantly impacted by soil Zn addition, the growth of plants and tissue Zn concentrations were. Together these data highlight the complex interactions between AM and Zn, and the utility of a genotypic approach for studying AM in this context.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Prof. Sally Smith for valuable discussions and comments on an early version of the manuscript. Thanks also to Ms Leesa Hughes, Ms Merryn Smith and Mr Tingyu Guan for technical assistance. We also gratefully acknowledge Dr Susan Barker and Prof. Sally Smith for continued access to the rmc and 76R genotypes of tomato. This research was funded by a Monash University, School of Biological Sciences, Small Grant, to TRC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    Timothy Richard Cavagnaro

  2. The Australian Centre for Biodiversity, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia

    Timothy Richard Cavagnaro

  3. Soil and Land Systems, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia

    Sandy Dickson & F. Andrew Smith

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  1. Timothy Richard Cavagnaro
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  2. Sandy Dickson
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  3. F. Andrew Smith
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Correspondence to Timothy Richard Cavagnaro.

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Responsible Editor: Peter Christie.

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Cavagnaro, T.R., Dickson, S. & Smith, F.A. Arbuscular mycorrhizas modify plant responses to soil zinc addition. Plant Soil 329, 307–313 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0158-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0158-z

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