Fungus-treated tomatoes see 65% higher yields in salty soil, greenhouse study shows

Plant scientists in the Middle East have discovered that adding a desert root fungus, Piriformospora indica—first isolated in India—to the soil protects the tomato from salt’s damaging effects.

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In plants irrigated with salty water, fungal infection of the roots boosted the yield of tomatoes 65% compared with uninfected plants. Even infected tomatoes irrigated with nonsalty water did better, with a 22% increase in yield. Others had shown this fungus improved the growth of barley and rice grown in salty conditions. And another fungus had proved beneficial in low salt conditions.

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Read full, original article: Salty soil is no problem for these tomatoes, thanks to some microbial helpers