ATTENTION: EMBARGO / PUBLICATION BAN: For release on May 22, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. CEST
Over the course of evolution, plants have developed an elegant strategy to counteract a lack of phosphate in the soil — they form symbiotic relationships with soil fungi. These mycorrhizal fungi supply their plant partners with phosphate. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), in collaboration with partners at the University of Bonn, discovered a molecular switch that detects the plant’s phosphate content and signals whether to initiate or inhibit the symbiosis. The study, published in Science Advances, opens new avenues for reducing fertilizer use.
Over the course of evolution, plants have developed an elegant strategy to counteract a lack of phosphate in the soil — they form symbiotic relationships with soil fungi. These mycorrhizal fungi supply their plant partners with phosphate. Scientists at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), in collaboration with partners at the University of Bonn, discovered a molecular switch that detects the plant’s phosphate content and signals whether to initiate or inhibit the symbiosis. The study, published in Science Advances, opens new avenues for reducing fertilizer use.
