Table_1_Contrasting Nitrogen Fertilisation Rates Alter Mycorrhizal Contribution to Barley Nutrition in a Field Trial.xlsx

Controlled environment studies show that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may contribute to plant nitrogen (N) uptake, but the role of these near-ubiquitous symbionts in crop plant N nutrition under natural field conditions remains largely unknown. In a field trial, we tested the effects of N fertilisation and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) cultivar identity on the contribution of AMF to barley N uptake using 15N tracers added to rhizosphere soil compartments. AMF were shown capable of significantly increasing plant 15N acquisition from root exclusion zones, and this was influenced by nitrogen addition type, N fertiliser application rate and barley cultivar identity. Our data demonstrate a previously overlooked potential route of crop plant N uptake which may be influenced substantially and rapidly in response to shifting agricultural management practices.

受控环境试验已证实，丛枝菌根真菌（arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, AMF）可促进植物氮（nitrogen, N）吸收，但这类近乎全域分布的共生体在自然田间条件下对作物氮素营养的作用，目前仍在很大程度上不明晰。本研究开展田间试验，通过向根际土壤分区施加15N示踪剂，探究了氮肥施用与大麦（Hordeum vulgare L.）品种特性对丛枝菌根真菌介导大麦氮素吸收贡献度的影响。结果显示，丛枝菌根真菌可显著提升植物从根系排他区获取的15N量，且该效应受氮肥施用类型、氮肥施用量及大麦品种特性的调控。本研究数据揭示了一条此前被忽视的作物氮素吸收潜在途径，其可随农业管理措施的动态调整而发生显著且快速的变化。