{"id":3594,"date":"2024-09-05T16:30:22","date_gmt":"2024-09-05T16:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/?p=3594"},"modified":"2025-02-17T17:03:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T17:03:55","slug":"mycorrhizae-the-great-allies-in-drought-mitigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/mycorrhizae-the-great-allies-in-drought-mitigation\/","title":{"rendered":"Mycorrhizae: The great allies in the mitigation of drought effects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Increasingly recurrent droughts and water scarcity are major challenges for agriculture worldwide. Mycorrhizae<\/a>, associations between fungi and plant roots, are an effective solution to mitigate these adverse effects. This article explores how mycorrhizae can help plants better tolerate drought and improve water use efficiency. <\/p>\n\n

What are Mycorrhizae?<\/h2>\n\n

Mycorrhizae are symbiotic relationships between soil fungi and plant roots.These mutualistic associations allow for increased nutrient and water uptake. There are two main types of mycorrhizae: <\/p>\n\n

    \n
  1. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM)<\/strong>: they penetrate inside root cells, formingstructures called arbuscules and vesicles. They are the most common and are found in more than 90% of plants. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Ectomycorrhizae (ECM)<\/strong>: they form a network around the roots and penetrate theroot cell walls, without going deep into them. They are found on trees and shrubs in forest areas. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    Negative effects of drought on plants<\/h2>\n\n

    Drought negatively affects plants in several ways:\u25cf Reduced Photosynthesis<\/strong>: Lack of water limits the opening of the stomata,reducing the entry of carbon dioxide and, therefore, reducing photosyntheticactivity.\u25cf Dehydration and Wilting<\/strong>: Excessive water loss can lead todehydration and wilting of plants.\u25cf Growth Inhibition<\/strong>: Water shortage affects the growth and development ofroots and new shoots.\u25cf Increased Susceptibility to Diseases<\/strong>: Drought stressed plants aremore susceptible to diseases and pests.<\/p>\n\n

    How do mycorrhizae help mitigate the effects ofdrought?<\/h2>\n\n

    Improved Water Absorption<\/h3>\n\n

    Mycorrhizae increase the ability of plants to absorb water in several ways:<\/p>\n\n

      \n
    1. Extension of the root system<\/strong>: The hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi, whichwould be equivalent to the roots of vegetables, extend the root system ofplants, allowing them to explore a larger volume of soil in search ofwater.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Water Absorption in Dry Areas<\/strong>: Hyphae can access smallporosities in the soil that roots cannot reach (due to their thickness), extractingwater that would otherwise be out of reach of the plant.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

      Water Balance Regulation<\/h3>\n\n

      Mycorrhizae help plants regulate their water balance and maintain adequate levels of hydration:<\/p>\n\n

        \n
      1. Improved stomatal conductance<\/strong>: Mycorrhized plants can regulatebetter the opening of their stomata, optimizing transpiration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Transpiration Rate Regulation<\/strong>: Under moderatedrought conditions, mycorrhizal plants can maintain a moreconstant transpiration rate, which helps avoid extreme water stress.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

        Production of Protective Substances<\/h3>\n\n

        Mycorrhizae induce the production of protective substances in plants:<\/p>\n\n

          \n
        1. Accumulation of Osmoprotectants<\/strong>: Compounds such as proline and soluble sugarsthat protect plant cells from water stress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        2. Activation of Antioxidant Enzymes<\/strong>: Help reduce cell damage caused byoxidative stress during drought.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

          Soil Structure Improvement<\/h3>\n\n

          Mycorrhizae contribute to the improvement of soil structure, improving water infiltration, retention and availability:<\/p>\n\n

            \n
          1. Soil Aggregation<\/strong>: The hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi produce substances such asglomalin, which help to form soil aggregates, improving its structure andwater retention capacity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          2. Increased Porosity<\/strong>: Improves infiltration and water storage in the soil.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

            Scientific evidence<\/h2>\n\n

            Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of mycorrhizae in conditions ofdrought:<\/p>\n\n

            \u25cf Research In corn, wheat and other extensive crops<\/strong>: It has beenshown in numerous studies that plants associated witharbuscular mycorrhizae have higher water use efficiency and highergrain yields, under rainfed growing conditions or after periods of hightemperatures.\u25cf In vegetables<\/strong>: Research in crops such as tomato and lettuceindicates that mycorrhizae allow optimizing the use of water and fertilizer, while reducing the incidence of pests and diseases. This allows for reduced input use and higher crop quality.\u25cf In woody crops<\/strong>: In citrus, stone fruit and nuts, mycorrhizae have been shown to improve resistance to water and salt stress, and better crop establishment in new plantings. <\/p>\n\n

            Practical application in agriculture<\/h2>\n\n

            Soil and Seed Inoculation<\/h3>\n\n

            To take advantage of the benefits of mycorrhizae in improving tolerance to water stress, andother types of stress such as heat or salt stress, farmers can inoculate their soils or seeds with suitable mycorrhizal fungi.<\/p>\n\n

            Mycorrhizal Strain Selection<\/h3>\n\n

            It is important to select mycorrhizal strains that are most effective for the specific cropsand soil conditions. There are strains that may be less effective than othersunder some conditions. <\/p>\n\n

            Importance of the use of multiprimer products<\/h3>\n\n

            It is common to find products containing a single generic mycorrhizal strain (species), which may not be adapted to the growing conditions. It is advisable to use multi-strain (multi-species) products, with greater adaptability and thus maximize the chances of success. Some examples of species are: Rhizophagus irregularis, Funneliformis mosseae, Septoglomus deserticola, Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Claroideoglomus claroideum. <\/p>\n\n

            Sustainable Soil Management<\/h3>\n\n

            Sustainable agricultural practices, such as reduced tillage, use of organic fertilizersand reduced use of chemical pesticides, can favor the establishment and effectiveness of mycorrhizae.<\/p>\n\n

            Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

            Mycorrhizae <\/strong>are powerful allies in the fight against the effects of drought and lack ofwater in agriculture. They increase water absorption and retention, improve the regulation of the water balance of plants and strengthen their natural defenses. By incorporating mycorrhizal products into agricultural practices, it is possible to increase crop resilience to drought and water scarcity, and promote a more sustainable and productive agriculture. <\/p>\n\n

            \"\"<\/a>
            El\u00edas Mart\u00ednezAgricultural Engineer and Product Technician<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Increasingly recurrent droughts and water scarcity are major challenges for agriculture worldwide. Mycorrhizae, associations between fungi and plant roots, are an effective solution to mitigate these adverse effects. This article explores how mycorrhizae can help plants better tolerate drought and improve water use efficiency. What are Mycorrhizae? Mycorrhizae are symbiotic relationships between soil fungi and […]\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mycorrhizae"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3594"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4214,"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3594\/revisions\/4214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bioera.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}