Background: Some soil microorganisms can mobilize unavailable phosphorus (P) in soils for plant use and increase P fertilizer efficiency. Thus, an abiotic P solubilization experiment and fungal incubation in solution and soil were conducted to investigate the mobilization of various P compounds by a new white-rot fungus Ceriporia lacerata HG2011. The crop agronomic performances were then evaluated in the winter barley-summer maize-winter wheat rotation field.
Results: Ceriporia lacerata HG2011 had a wide P mobilization spectrum and mobilized P by different mechanisms depending on P sources supplied in liquid culture. The chief mechanism employed by this fungus was the production of protons in mobilizing Ca3 (PO4 )2 , low-molecular-weight organic acids and other unknown substances in FePO4 and AlPO4 , phytase (an inducible enzyme in the presence of phytate) in phytate, and phosphatase in lecithin and ribonucleic acid, respectively. As a result of the large fungal biomass, P accumulated in the hypha should also be considered in the assessment of the fungal P mobilization, and not just only soluble inorganic P. As C. lacerata HG2011 colonized on and in the test soil, phosphatase and phytase activities were enhanced but pH decreased in the soil, leading to P mobilization. The application of this fungus mobilized soil P, increased crop P uptake and yields, and consecutively reduced P fertilizer use without yield sacrifices in the multiple crop rotation field.
Conclusion: C. lacerata HG2011 showed a new use with respect to mobilizing soil P and reducing P fertilizer input in modern agriculture beyond medical purposes, environmental protection and biofuel production. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Keywords: Ceriporia lacerata; P-mobilizing mechanism; crop yield; insoluble P; plant nutrient uptake.
© 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.