Fungi provide early warning system for plants

Cooperation between plants and soil fungi is well known Parasitic fungi absorb soluble carbohydrates, such as sugar, from the roots of plants, while plants use fungal mats or mycelium with a wide surface area to absorb more soil minerals Now, in this deal, it seems that plants are getting more benefits When a bean plant (Vicia faba) is infected with aphids, it will produce a series of chemicals that can resist aphids, but at the same time attract aphid's natural predator, the arrival of wasps (inset) Even if legumes are not attacked by aphids, they can produce these chemical resistances - as long as they are in contact with plants that are trapped by fungal mats, the team reported in this month's online edition of the ecology letters Researchers don't know exactly how plants transmit these dangerous information, but the possibility of using the above ground signal transmission has been ruled out: because plants are covered by bags The most likely mechanism, say the researchers, is chemical communication through fungal networks The roots of many important food crops, including wheat, rice and corn, are closely co-exist with symbiotic fungi, which will have a profound impact on the control of aphids (main map) by means of green environmental protection Strategically, planting this crop intentionally among crops will promote the occurrence of chemical reactions that are beneficial to other crops Is it selfless? Yes, but some plants will make sacrifices for the health of the whole farmland, which is of economic significance in the war against the enemy of agriculture.