The mycorrhizal root-shoot axis elicits Coffea arabica growth under low phosphate conditions

Abstract

Coffee is one of the most traded commodities world-wide. As with 70% of land plants, coffee is associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, but the molecular bases of this interaction are unknown. We studied the mycorrhizal phenotype of two commercially important Coffea arabica cultivars (‘Typica National’ and ‘Catimor Amarillo’), upon Funnelliformis mosseae colonisation grown under phosphorus limitation, using an integrated functional approach based on multi-omics, physiology and biochemistry. The two cultivars revealed a strong biomass increase upon mycorrhization, even at low level of fungal colonisation, improving photosynthetic efficiency and plant nutrition. The more important iconic markers of AM symbiosis were activated: We detected two gene copies of AM-inducible phosphate (Pt4), ammonium (AM2) and nitrate (NPF4.5) transporters, which were identified as belonging to the C. arabica parental species (C. canephora and C. eugenioides) with both copies being upregulated. Transcriptomics data were confirmed by ions and metabolomics analyses, which highlighted an increased amount of glucose, fructose and flavonoid glycosides. In conclusion, both coffee cultivars revealed a high responsiveness to the AM fungus along their root-shoot axis, showing a clear-cut re-organisation of the major metabolic pathways, which involve nutrient acquisition, carbon fixation, and primary and secondary metabolism.