Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation increases the bioavailability of zinc and iron in wheat grain
Date
2025
Authors
Nguyen, T.D.
Johnson, A.A.T.
Lombi, E.
Doolette, C.L.
Smith, E.
Watts‐Williams, S.J.
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Journal article
Citation
Plants, People, Planet, 2025; 1-13
Statement of Responsibility
Thi Diem Nguyen, Alexander A. T. Johnson, Enzo Lombi, Casey L. Doolette, Euan Smith, Stephanie J. Watts-Williams
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Abstract
Social Impact Statement Bread wheat is an important crop that supplies calories and nutrients to the global population. Enhancing the concentrations and bioavailability of essential micronutrients in wheat is crucial for human nutrition, and we investigated whether arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can contribute to the biofortification of wheat. In this study, AM fungal inoculation increased the Zn uptake of Australian bread wheat, without elevating phytate levels, which led to improved Zn and Fe bioavailability compared to non-AM plants. AM fungi could contribute to the biofortification of bread wheat but must be considered within the broader agronomic context. Summary Bread wheat, the world's second major food crop, is crucial for global nutrition. Enhancing Zn and Fe bioavailability in wheat grain can combat human nutritional deficiencies. There is demonstrated potential for AM fungi to support these goals through increased uptake of Zn and Fe into wheat. However, AM fungi can also increase P uptake, leading to higher phytic acid levels in the grain, which can hinder Zn and Fe absorption in the digestive system. Eight Australian wheat varieties were grown with or without AM fungi (Rhizophagus irregularis) and two soil P treatments (addition of 0 or 25 mg P kg¯¹ soil) in a controlled growth environment. At maturity, plants were harvested and analysed for grain biomass, nutrition, phytate and 2D spatial elemental distribution within grain using X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy. Our results indicated that the AM-colonised plants had greater grain biomass and accumulated greater amounts of P and Zn in whole grain and Zn in the aleurone layer, but not Fe. Increased P did not raise phytate levels, leading to overall higher Zn and Fe bioavailability in AM-inoculated plants compared to non-inoculated controls. AM fungal inoculation could be a promising strategy for producing wheat grain with higher micronutrient bioavailability for human nutrition, without compromising agronomic practices (P fertiliser application) or yield targets.
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© 2025 The Author(s). Plants, People, Planet published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of New Phytologist Foundation. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.