Investment

Majority of agricultural crops establish mutually beneficial associations with AM fungi, which benefit the host plants directly via enhanced uptake of nutrients that might be physically or chemically inaccessible to root systems, or indirectly via conferring resistance to host plants against biotic/abiotic stresses.

The great potential of AM fungi in the agronomic context, however, is constrained by the obligate biotrophic nature of these fungi (i.e. they can grow only in the presence of a live host) that results in high cost of inoculum production; moreover, application of P fertilisers generally results in decreased (or completely inhibited) AM colonisation of roots. Kariman et al. (2014) described a novel symbiosis between jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) and the Australian native fungus (Austroboletus occidentalis) in which root colonisation does not occur, but host plants get significant growth and Phosphorus (P) nutritional benefits due to enhanced nutrient solubilisation and mobilisation in soil.

This investment will characterise the potential of the native symbiotic fungus as a biofertiliser for three major grain crops (canola, wheat and barley), with a particular focus on improvement of crop yield and P nutrition.