The Roots of Plant-Microbe Collaborations

摘要

Bacterial or fungal invasions do not always cause disease. Some invasions―for instance, when microbes break into the cells of plant roots―are decidedly beneficial. By providing essential nutrients, the microbes help both their host plants and the world's agricultural systems. In one such symbiotic interaction, the roots of many plants are infected by certain fungi that help them acquire phosphate from the soil. In the other key agricultural symbiosis, rhizobial bacteria set up housekeeping in the roots of legumes, such as peas, soybeans, and alfalfa, where they produce the form of nitrogen needed for plant growth. Recently, plant biologists have begun to dissect out the genes needed to establish these life-sustaining relations.