title: Using mycorrhiza-defective mutant genotypes of non-legume plant species to study the formation and functioning of arbuscular mycorrhiza: a review.
abstract: A significant challenge facing the study of arbuscular mycorrhiza is the establishment of suitable non-mycorrhizal treatments that can be compared with mycorrhizal treatments. A number of options are available, including soil disinfection or sterilisation, comparison of constitutively mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal plant species, comparison of plants grown in soils with different inoculum potential and the comparison of mycorrhiza-defective mutant genotypes with their mycorrhizal wild-type progenitors. Each option has its inherent advantages and limitations. Here, the potential to use mycorrhiza-defective mutant and wild-type genotype plant pairs as tools to study the functioning of mycorrhiza is reviewed. The emphasis of this review is placed on non-legume plant species, as mycorrhiza-defective plant genotypes in legumes have recently been extensively reviewed. It is concluded that non-legume mycorrhiza-defective mutant and wild-type pairs are useful tools in the study of mycorrhiza. However, the mutant genotypes should be well characterised and, ideally, meet a number of key criteria. The generation of more mycorrhiza-defective mutant genotypes in agronomically important plant species would be of benefit, as would be more research using these genotype pairs, especially under field conditions.
authors: School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia. sjw266@cornell.edu.|Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA. sjw266@cornell.edu.
authors: Stephanie J
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7359-8440
authors: SJ
authors: Watts-Williams
authors: School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, PMB1, Glen Osmond, SA, 5064, Australia.
authors: Timothy R
authors: TR
authors: Cavagnaro
mesh_terms: D007887:Fabaceae / Q000382:microbiology; D005838:Genotype; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D009154:Mutation / Q000502:physiology; D038821:Mycorrhizae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012987:Soil
chemical_list: D012987:Soil
keywords: Arbuscular mycorrhiza; Micro-Tom; Mycorrhiza-defective mutant genotype; Reduced mycorrhizal colonisation (rmc); Solanum lycopersicum (tomato)