Predicting arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi inoculation success with soil fungal indicatorS

Summary in the original language of the document

We urgently need alternatives to mineral fertilizers and pesticides to reduce agriculture's environmental impact. One potential solution involves using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which can help plants take up nutrients and handle stress better. However, large-scale field tests with AMF have been scarce, and the results have been inconsistent.
In our study, we tested AMF on maize plants in 54 fields across Switzerland to see how it affected their growth. The results varied widely, with some plants growing 40% more and others 12% less. By examining a few soil characteristics, mainly related to the soil microbiome, we could predict 86% of the differences in plant growth.
Interestingly, the presence of harmful fungi in the soil was a better predictor of AMF success than the availability of nutrients. This suggests that looking at soil microbiome indicators can help us predict how well AMF inoculation will work at the start of the growing season. This predictability makes microbiome engineering a more viable and sustainable option for improving agricultural practices.