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

genetic engineering tomato plants x

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.

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.

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

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