Lobachevsky University scientists find a substitute for phosphate fertilizers

Researchers at the UNN Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology have demonstrated that a fungus of the genus Phialocephala fortinii can provide the basis for an effective and safe biofertilizer. This fungus colonises the roots of heath family plants (lingonberry, cranberry, blueberry) and provides plants with natural phosphorus from the soil.

"The fungus "draws" nutrients from the soil that were previously inaccessible to the host plants. Such symbiosis is safe for agricultural crops, it does not cause infection," explains the author of the study, Vyacheslav Mikheev, assistant professor at the UNN Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

Experiments were conducted on cranberry plants. Some of the plants received the fungus, while others were left uninfected. Observations showed that when cultivated with the P. fortinii fungus, cranberries increased their growth rate, biomass and phosphorus accumulation.

Lobachevsky University scientists also described for the first time the complete mechanism of interaction between the fungus and the plant: from the fungus penetrating the root and forming symbiosis to specific indicators of increased phosphorus intake by plant tissues.

"Phosphate fertilisers are so unequally available around the world that it is sometimes impractical to use them. Once in the soil, phosphate binds with metals and becomes inaccessible to plants, accumulating in the soil as ballast. Besides, conventional mineral fertilisers are extracted from non-renewable sources and will someday run out. All these factors make biological fertilisers based on the fungi of the genus Phialocephala a promising option for agriculture," says Vyacheslav Mikheev.

The research was carried out as part of the Priority 2030 programme. The results were published in the international journal on mycology, Journal of Fungi.