Que son las Micorrizas - TvAgro por Juan Gonzalo Angel

The word "mycorrhiza," of Greek origin, defines the symbiosis between a fungus (mycos) and the roots (rhizos) of a plant. As in many symbiotic relationships, both participants benefit. 1 In this case, the plant receives mainly mineral nutrients and water from the fungus, 2 and the fungus obtains carbohydrates and vitamins from the plant, which it is unable to synthesize on its own, while the plant can do so through photosynthesis and other internal reactions. 3 It is estimated that between 90 and 95% of terrestrial plant families (80% of species) routinely exhibit mycorrhizae. 4 The symbiotic association is established between plant roots and fungal hyphae of the phyla Glomeromycota, Basidiomycota, and Ascomycota. At the beginning of colonization, the fungus forms a mat of fungal hyphae that surrounds the root tip; Other hyphae then penetrate the intercellular space between root cells, forming what is known as the Hartig network. It is here in the Hartig network that the exchange of nutrients, minerals, and water takes place: the fungus absorbs water and minerals, which it then translocates to the plant, and in return, the plant provides the fungus with sugars and other products of photosynthesis. Among the many positive effects that ectomycorrhizal fungi provide to their host, the most important is attributed to the extraradical mycelium, which increases the amount of dissolved mineral uptake. Nutrient mobilization can occur through an enzymatic pathway, allowing the fungus to utilize organic nitrogen and phosphorus, or through the release of organic acids, mobilizing calcium, magnesium, and potassium, among others. The hyphae primarily excrete oxalic acid, which helps weather rock surfaces. Furthermore, the diameter of the apex of a hypha compared to that of a root gives the plant a great advantage, allowing it to explore substrates it would not be able to reach without the association with its ectomycorrhizal fungus.5 It is possible for a fungus to form mycorrhizae with more than one plant at a time, thus establishing a connection between different plants. This facilitates the existence of parasitic plants (some of which do not even photosynthesize, such as those of the genus Monotropa), which extract everything they need from the mycobiont fungus and the other plants with which it also establishes symbiosis. Likewise, several fungi (sometimes of different species) can mycorrhize the same plant at the same time. Source: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micorriza Juan Gonzalo Angel Restrepo www.tvagro.tv