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Naturally occurring soil fungi could boost rice yields while reducing reliance on synthetic fertilisers
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/naturally-occurring-soil-fungi-could-boost-rice-yields-while-reducing-reliance-on-syntheticPublished
20 May 2026
Field trials in India show that bio-fertilisers containing naturally occurring soil fungi enhance growth in rice plants. This may offer a pathway to reducing farmers’ reliance on synthetic fertilisers, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in rice farming.
The trials, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge in partnership with UK rice brand Tilda and basmati farmers in India, tested fungi-based bio-fertilisers under real farming conditions.
These bio‑fertilisers contain arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi - beneficial soil fungi that can live inside plant roots and help to extend their reach into the soil to collect nutrients.
…
“Every farmer in the trial saw increased rice yield in fields where they applied mycorrhiza-based bio-fertilisers, compared to the fields without it,” said Dr Emily Servante, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Crop Science Centre and lead scientist on the trial.
…
20 May 2026
Field trials in India show that bio-fertilisers containing naturally occurring soil fungi enhance growth in rice plants. This may offer a pathway to reducing farmers’ reliance on synthetic fertilisers, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in rice farming.
The trials, led by researchers at the University of Cambridge in partnership with UK rice brand Tilda and basmati farmers in India, tested fungi-based bio-fertilisers under real farming conditions.
These bio‑fertilisers contain arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi - beneficial soil fungi that can live inside plant roots and help to extend their reach into the soil to collect nutrients.
…
“Every farmer in the trial saw increased rice yield in fields where they applied mycorrhiza-based bio-fertilisers, compared to the fields without it,” said Dr Emily Servante, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Crop Science Centre and lead scientist on the trial.
…
https://theconversation.com/how-im-helping-rice-farmers-in-india-harness-the-power-of-fungi-in-the-soil-269209
How I’m helping rice farmers in India harness the power of fungi in the soil
Published: January 5, 2026 12:16pm EST Updated: January 6, 2026 11:24am EST
It’s an exciting time to be a microbiologist working in rice research. A global push towards the cultivation of water-saving rice is enabling farmers to harness the power of microbes that thrive in less water.
…
Among microbes thriving in less water are arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. These are beneficial soil fungi that live inside plant roots and help to extend plants’ reach into the soil to collect nutrients, acting as “natural biofertilisers”.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are aerobic, meaning they require oxygen for survival. This makes them more likely to be well suited to the drier, more aerated soils (with air spaces to allow efficient exchange of nutrients, water and air) that are increasingly promoted in sustainable rice systems.
To test this theory, I stepped out of the Crop Science lab at the University of Cambridge and into the field at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.
…
Published: January 5, 2026 12:16pm EST Updated: January 6, 2026 11:24am EST
It’s an exciting time to be a microbiologist working in rice research. A global push towards the cultivation of water-saving rice is enabling farmers to harness the power of microbes that thrive in less water.
…
Among microbes thriving in less water are arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. These are beneficial soil fungi that live inside plant roots and help to extend plants’ reach into the soil to collect nutrients, acting as “natural biofertilisers”.
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are aerobic, meaning they require oxygen for survival. This makes them more likely to be well suited to the drier, more aerated soils (with air spaces to allow efficient exchange of nutrients, water and air) that are increasingly promoted in sustainable rice systems.
To test this theory, I stepped out of the Crop Science lab at the University of Cambridge and into the field at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines.
…