About this Research Topic
During plant growth, plants are often subjected to various biotic and abiotic stresses that strongly limit their growth and disrupt normal physiological and biochemical metabolisms. These disruptions can lead to an overproduction of reactive oxygen species, plasma membrane disruption, and RNA degradation. Biotic and abiotic stresses have thus become significant limiting factors in plant development.
Simultaneously, there are many beneficial microorganisms in the plant rhizosphere, including arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. AM fungi establish a reciprocal symbiosis with the roots of about 72% of terrestrial plants, known as arbuscular mycorrhizas. These fungi help host plants absorb water and mineral nutrients from the soil by developed extraradical hyphae network and, in turn, receive carbohydrates (mainly fatty acids) from the host partner for their growth.
AM fungi possess multiple pathways to respond to and enhance host resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. For example, AM fungi can absorb water directly from the soil and transfer it rapidly to cortical cells containing arbuscules through non-septate mycelial channels, then unload it into the host. Additionally, in host plants, cellular metabolites such as fatty acids, polyamines, flavonoids, and sugars are directed towards resistance to stress. Moreover, stress-responsive genes, such as aquaporin proteins from both AM fungi and host plants, work synergistically to promote water uptake or loss in the host. These various intracellular responses may form a complex regulatory network that requires further exploration to be fully understood.
The goal of this Research Topic is to explore the problem of plant stress tolerance induced by mycorrhizal symbioses and to present what can be done to enhance understanding and application of this symbiosis in improving plant stress resistance. Recent advances in understanding the physiological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms behind mycorrhizal symbioses offer new insights into how plants can better withstand biotic and abiotic stresses. Further research is crucial to develop a comprehensive regulatory network that outlines these stress responses and improves practical applications for agriculture.
We welcome submissions of all article types accepted in Frontiers in Plant Science. Manuscripts are particularly encouraged to focus on, but are not limited to, the following subthemes:
• Strategies of mycorrhizal fungi themselves in response to abiotic and biotic stress.
• Cellular and morphological responses of mycorrhizal plants to stress.
• Physiological mechanisms regarding mycorrhiza-mediated enhancement of stress tolerance in host plants.
• Molecular mechanisms regarding AM fungal roles in plant stress resistance, especially based on omics analysis.
• Combination of AM fungi and other microorganisms to mitigate stress resistance in host plants.
• Application of mycorrhizal fungi in the field for improved plant resistance or growth.
Simultaneously, there are many beneficial microorganisms in the plant rhizosphere, including arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. AM fungi establish a reciprocal symbiosis with the roots of about 72% of terrestrial plants, known as arbuscular mycorrhizas. These fungi help host plants absorb water and mineral nutrients from the soil by developed extraradical hyphae network and, in turn, receive carbohydrates (mainly fatty acids) from the host partner for their growth.
AM fungi possess multiple pathways to respond to and enhance host resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses. For example, AM fungi can absorb water directly from the soil and transfer it rapidly to cortical cells containing arbuscules through non-septate mycelial channels, then unload it into the host. Additionally, in host plants, cellular metabolites such as fatty acids, polyamines, flavonoids, and sugars are directed towards resistance to stress. Moreover, stress-responsive genes, such as aquaporin proteins from both AM fungi and host plants, work synergistically to promote water uptake or loss in the host. These various intracellular responses may form a complex regulatory network that requires further exploration to be fully understood.
The goal of this Research Topic is to explore the problem of plant stress tolerance induced by mycorrhizal symbioses and to present what can be done to enhance understanding and application of this symbiosis in improving plant stress resistance. Recent advances in understanding the physiological, cellular, and molecular mechanisms behind mycorrhizal symbioses offer new insights into how plants can better withstand biotic and abiotic stresses. Further research is crucial to develop a comprehensive regulatory network that outlines these stress responses and improves practical applications for agriculture.
We welcome submissions of all article types accepted in Frontiers in Plant Science. Manuscripts are particularly encouraged to focus on, but are not limited to, the following subthemes:
• Strategies of mycorrhizal fungi themselves in response to abiotic and biotic stress.
• Cellular and morphological responses of mycorrhizal plants to stress.
• Physiological mechanisms regarding mycorrhiza-mediated enhancement of stress tolerance in host plants.
• Molecular mechanisms regarding AM fungal roles in plant stress resistance, especially based on omics analysis.
• Combination of AM fungi and other microorganisms to mitigate stress resistance in host plants.
• Application of mycorrhizal fungi in the field for improved plant resistance or growth.
Keywords: mycorrhiza, plant stress response, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, biotic and abiotic stresses, symbiotic mechanism
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
