Fungi Fertilizers and Plant Malnutrition

Date:  08/17/2022

Our consultant-dealer in California, Andaman Ag, publishes very informative blogs.  This week's article explains the importance of fungi for crops: ... 

"Roots don’t gather the majority of water and nutrients for the plant, fungi do. There is a long-standing symbiotic relationship. Hyphae – the long filaments that make up fungi — grow where roots don’t go or grow. Roots are like elevator shafts and the hyphae are like the halls, electrical wiring and plumbing that permeate the building. The hyphae move water and nutrients to the roots for uptake. The roots in turn exude sugars photosynthesized by the plant that nourish the fungi (as well as a suite of beneficial microorganisms in the soil).  Without the hyphae or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) the roots can’t access nearly enough of the minerals the plant needs.

In addition, AMF produce glomalin to coat hyphae to keep water and nutrients from getting lost on the way to and from the plant. Glomalin a sticky glycoprotein that also glues sand, silt, clay, and organic matter together, to create soil aggregates. This creates what farmers and gardeners call tilth. Not only is glomalin an important soil glue, but it helps produce soils capable of sequestering carbon at the highest level. Soils in this category are closely bound and will not leach or erode. ..."

Read the entire blog here: Andaman Ag Blog about fungi and plant nutrition