Researchers have published promising results in the journal Nature Microbiology regarding soil fertilization with mycorrhizal fungi. They found that these fungi interact with plant roots and enhance crop yields.
These findings stem from experiments conducted on 800 maize fields in Switzerland. Farmers applied mycorrhizal fungi before planting. For 25% of these fields, farmers observed a yield increase of 40%.
Researchers noted that the less responsive fields fell into two groups:
• Fields with high pathogen loads, where the fungi helped maintain a threatened yield.
• Fields without pathogens and with very high yields, where the fungi provided no additional benefit.
Researchers still need to investigate the most effective methods of introducing mycorrhizal fungi for large-scale applications.
Source: Futura Science
