How iron-availability impacts plant-microbe interactions in the rhizosphere

Plants require iron for many biological processes. However, iron-acquisition is frequently hampered by soil pH, which can render iron insoluble and therefore inaccessible. To increase iron-solubility, plants both acidify the rhizosphere – the area surrounding their roots – and secrete iron-binding molecules, such as the coumarins. Recent research has demonstrated the coumarins alter the growth of certain rhizosphere microbes, and thus, these compounds likely help to shape the plant microbiome. Do you want to know more? Watch the video!

 

 

 

German subtitles can be selected on our YouTube channel! 

Planter’s Punch

Under the heading Planter’s Punch we present each month one special aspect of the CEPLAS research programme. All contributions are prepared by our early career researchers.

About the author

Anthony Piro is a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Jane Parker at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research. His research focuses on how plant micronutrient status affects plant-microbe interactions.

Before changing his focus to plant-microbe interactions, Anthony earned his PhD in the group of Jörn Coers at Duke University in the United States, where he studied innate immune responses against intracellular bacterial pathogens in vertebrates.