Category: Fungal Ecology

A new study shows how plants and fungi could work together to grow healthier crops, without synthetic chemicals.

Original Article: Peptide imitation is the sincerest form of plant flattery, Salk scientists use small peptides to enhance symbiosis between plants and fungi, offering a sustainable alternative to artificial fertilizers

Auther: Salk Institute, based on research by Lena Mueller’s team

Published: 14th April 2025 in 2025, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

This is a personal overview of the article. To dive deeper, I highly recommend reading the original in full.

In our modern era, chemical fertilisers have become the backbone of industrial agriculture but they come at a huge cost to soil health and biodiversity. Facinating new research from the Salk Institute suggests that the solution may lie in restoring a biological relationship we’ve long neglected. The study focuses on a naturally occurring peptide produced by plant roots called CLE16.

Researchers found that CLE16 plays a key role in promoting symbiosis between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi (read more about AM Fungi here). When CLE16 was added to the soil it dramatically strengthened the nutrient exchange network between plant and fungi. Even more fascinating: the fungi themselves appear to mimic the plant’s signal, producing CLE16-like peptides to keep the exchange going. This mutual signalling could become the foundation of a natural, scalable alternative to synthetic fertilisers.

The implications are exciting. If this approach proves effective in major crops like wheat, soy, or corn, farmers might be able to replace chemicals with biological inputs. It may reduce pesticide use too, since mycorrhizal fungi are known to enhance plant immunity.

This isn’t the only research heading in this direction. Other global efforts—including studies in Europe and the US—are exploring how to breed crops that favour mycorrhizal relationships. But what’s remarkable about the Salk study is that it isolates a specific molecule (CLE16), offering a practical entry point for applied use in the field.

This kind of work sits at the heart of what sustainable agriculture should look like. Rather than fighting nature with inputs, we’re beginning to listen to what plants and fungi already know how to do. If we can support these underground alliances with understanding we may see more restorative farming practices and move towards more sustainable future.

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The Underground Network That Holds Everything Together

Original Article: Five Things You Didn’t Know About Our Underground Fungi

Author: Adam Frew, Research Fellow in Ecology, Charles Sturt University

Published: 31st March 2025

This is a personal overview of the article. To dive deeper, I highly recommend reading the original in full.

This article is about one of the most important research projects being carried out in the fungi world today. It highlights a type of fungi that quietly supports almost all plant life, yet it is only just starting to come into the spotlight.

These aren’t mushrooms you’d spot on a forest walk, they are microscopic, thread-like mycelium that weave through plant roots, trading nutrients and water for sugars. Known as Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, they form one of the oldest and most widespread symbiotic relationships on Earth. Over 80% of all plant species depend on them

Globally, AM fungi are being studied for their role in everything from drought resilience to soil regeneration and carbon storage. Europe, North America, and parts of Asia have made significant progress in mapping species and understanding how mycelium influences ecosystems and agriculture. In the UK, research has looked at how AM fungi interact with native plants, farming practices, and even grassland restoration.

In Australia, where soils are some of the oldest and most nutrient-poor in the world, this vital fungal network has gone largely untracked. That’s what makes this study so important. The article introduces AusAMF, the first nationwide database dedicated to identifying and mapping AM fungi across Australia. It’s a major step towards understanding the health of fungal communities and the ecosystems they support.

In my view, this kind of work deserves far more attention. Fungi is key to biodiversity, climate resilience, and future food systems. If they’re in trouble, we need to know and we need to act.

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