Summary
This multi-country European study demonstrates that intensive agricultural management practices, particularly pesticide use, reduce the functional capacity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to facilitate plant nutrient acquisition. The research, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, suggests that conventional farming approaches diminish these beneficial plant–fungal symbionts through multiple pathways, with implications for soil health and crop nutrient cycling in arable and mixed farming systems.
UK applicability
The findings are directly applicable to UK farming, where pesticide use is widespread in conventional cereal and arable systems. Results suggest that adoption of reduced-input or integrated pest management strategies could restore AMF function and potentially improve soil health and crop resilience in UK agricultural systems.
Key measures
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community structure, fungal biomass, spore density, phosphorus uptake capacity, plant biomass, and correlations with pesticide residues and soil management practices
Outcomes reported
The study assessed how conventional agricultural practices, particularly pesticide application and soil management, affect the functioning and community composition of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) across multiple European farming systems. Effects were measured on fungal biomass, spore production, and plant nutrient acquisition capacity.
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