ArticlePlanta2025
Belowground mutualists modulate growth and aboveground defense in potato: insights from mycorrhizal and entomopathogenic nematode interactions.
Article in Planta, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- The plant holobiont: integrating molecular priming and ecological legacies for climate-adaptive immunity.Essays in biochemistry · 2026Review
- Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
MAIN
conclusionSoil application of entomopathogenic nematodes enhanced the growth and modulated the aboveground defenses in potato plants, while interactions with mycorrhizal fungi shaped the volatile emissions and herbivory, underscoring the nematodes as primary drivers in multi-mutualistic systems. Plants frequently engage with multiple belowground mutualists simultaneously, yet the outcomes of such multi-partner associations for plant traits and herbivore resistance remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the independent and combined effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF; Rhizophagus irregularis) and entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs; Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora) on the growth and defense phenotype of potato (Solanum tuberosum) plants. Using a fully factorial experimental design, we assessed the plant height, foliar phenolic content, constitutive volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, and leaf damage by chewing herbivores. We found that EPNs alone enhanced plant height and reduced flavonoid concentrations, consistent with a potential shift in growth-defense allocation. AMF inoculation had no significant main effects on any measured trait but interacted with EPNs in a species-specific manner. Notably, mycorrhization increased VOC emission only in the presence of H. bacteriophora, while co-inoculation with AMF and S. carpocapsae significantly reduced herbivore damage-a response not observed in either single-symbiont treatment. These findings highlight the non-additive and context-dependent nature of belowground mutualist interactions, with distinct outcomes governed by the identity of the EPN. To our knowledge, this is among the first documented cases where aboveground herbivory is attenuated through a context-specific interaction between two root-associated mutualists. Overall, our results highlight the ecological significance of considering species-specific, multi-mutualist interactions in shaping plant traits and suggest that combining functionally distinct symbionts may offer a novel approach to enhancing crop resilience in sustainable agriculture.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.