July 2025
Colonization of a wheat root with endophytic fungi
This photo shows the colonization of a wheat root with endophytic fungi stained with trypan blue (Photo: Elijah Ollo).
The plant microbiome plays an important role in the health, development and yield of plants. In particular, root-associated bacteria (rhizosphere and endobacteria of the roots) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a central role in nutrient uptake and plant protection. Under drought stress, the importance of these positive properties of the root-associated microbiota increases significantly. In addition to genetic disposition, the disease resistance of plants is mainly determined by the microbiome associated with the plants and the soil microbiome. A positive correlation between microbial diversity/AMF abundance and root health can generally be observed.
The photo was taken as part of the research work of the TRIO project - Transformative Mixed Crop Systems for One Health (2024-2027), an interdisciplinary research project of the universities of Kassel, Geisenheim and Giessen.
For more information:
Dr. Stefanie Glaeser, Applied Microbiology