Communication between Plant and Mycorrhizal

Dear Colleagues,

Mycorrhizal fungi associated with host plant roots are able to not only enhance plant growth, productivity, and immunity but also provoke induced systemic tolerance to abiotic and biotic stresses. Additionally, the mycorrhiza also uptake nutrients from soils, thus reducing the need for agrochemicals (e.g., fertilizers and pesticides) and avoiding the accumulation of nitrates and phosphates in the agricultural soils. Abiotic stresses (e.g., drought, salinity, extreme temperature, mineral deficiency) have become the main threats to global agricultural production. These stresses alone and/or in combination affect the plant establishment, growth, development, and productivity by initiating physiological disorders, ion toxicity, and nutritional and hormonal disparities. Mycorrhizal fungi can interconnect individual plants to form mycorrhizal networks (MN). Therefore, mycorrhizal fungi in the rhizosphere can develop a symbiotic relationship with host plant roots via MN, which considerably enhances the resistance of host plants to abiotic and biotic stresses.

This Special Issue addresses the role of mycorrhizal fungi in the alleviation of various stresses and their beneficial effects on plant growth and production (including interplant communication of signals via mycorrhizal fungi; the nature of the signals and the degree of plant and fungal control of their delivery; the behavioral changes in ectomycorrhizal plants depend on environmental cues, the identity of the plant neighbor, and the characteristics of the MN and its role as a tool for sustainable pest management in agriculture) and the mechanisms underlying plant–mycorrhizal fungi interactions (namely, the mechanisms of signal transfer in natural plant communities) under both benign and stressful environmental conditions. We will highlight 1) recent progress in fundamental research (e.g., mechanisms underlying the behavioral changes include mycorrhizal fungal colonization by the MN or interplant communication via the transfer of nutrients, defense signals or allelochemicals), 2) applied experimental studies aimed at mycorrhizal-fungi-mediated plant growth promotion (e.g., the role of mycorrhizal fungi in stress amelioration and plant growth), and 3) utilization of mycorrhizal fungi as sustainable biotechnological tools for the production of safe and healthy plant foods in real field conditions.

This Special Issue welcomes contributions dissecting the mechanisms underlying interactions between plants and mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. We encourage the submission of review manuscripts related to the new findings in ectomycorrhizal ecosystems and recent advances in arbuscular mycorrhizal systems, as well as research manuscripts focusing on mycorrhizal fungi induced photosynthetic, molecular, cellular, physicochemical, and biological changes, gene regulation, and defense response in plants under various stresses. The following article types are particularly welcomed: Original research and reviews.

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• mycorrhizal fungi
• abiotic and biotic stresses
• mycorrhizal networks
• extra-radical mycelium
• plant to plant communication
• plant–microbe interactions