Plant-bacteria partnership reveals how roots access iron locked in soil

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Researchers found that Arabidopsis plants adapt chemical signaling with root-associated bacteria to improve iron uptake from soils where the mineral is difficult to access. The study, led by Paul Schulze-Lefert with collaborators at German plant research institutes, may inform understanding of plant nutrition in both acidic and calcareous soils.

A new study led by Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, in collaboration with Ricardo F.H. Giehl at the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research in Gatersleben, revealed how Arabidopsis plants adapt their chemical communication with the bacterial root microbiota to maximize the acquisition of bio-unavailable iron from acidic or calcareous soils. The study is now published in Cell.