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Role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hyphae on soil water flux and switchgrass-water relations under drought


EMSL Project ID
51767

Abstract

The majority of terrestrial plants form root symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) which are well studied for their benefits to host plants under drought conditions. These benefits range from improved plant nutrition to enhanced plant water relations. While AMF associations clearly improve plant water uptake and drought resilience, the exact mechanisms and transport phenomena responsible for this improvement are unclear. One potentially significant way by which AMF may transport water is via soil hydraulic redistribution that can happen through the putative AMF highways or much less studied and understood AMF altered soil micro-capillarity. These transport processes could be vital in the field context to ensure crop resilience and could explain the experimental difficulties in replicating drought stress using rainout shelters. To better understand soil hydraulic dynamics associated with AMF hyphal networks we propose the following two specific aims:
Aim 1: Quantify soil water flux in mycorrhizal versus non-mycorrhizal soil
Aim 2: Determine the biological significance of AMF mediated soil water flow along the continuum
Here, we propose to make use of custom flow cells and high-resolution moisture sensor arrays of Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) to map water flow in the soil and the mycorrhizal system under sub-saturated condition. Furthermore, with our expertise on gas exchange, we will assess the photosynthetic and transpirational responses of switchgrass to the mycorrhizal symbiosis under drought. Results from our studies will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of AMF-plant-water relations and transport phenomena.

Project Details

Project type
BRC Research
Start Date
2020-12-21
End Date
2022-09-01
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Binod Basyal
Institution
Michigan State University

Co-Investigator(s)

Berkley Walker
Institution
Michigan State University

Team Members

Michael Mecham
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory