Weeds: An Insidious Enemy or a Tool to Boost Mycorrhization in Cropping Systems?

Abstract

Weeds have always been considered an insidious enemy, capable of reducing crop production. Conversely, the agroecological vision attributes a key role to the spontaneous flora in promoting plant diversity and belowground interactions, which may improve the ecological performance of agroecosystems. We summarized the literature on the weeds’ arbuscular–mycorrhizae (AM) interaction and we analyzed evidence on the: (i) AM suppressive/selective effect on weed communities; (ii) effect of weeds on AM colonization, and (iii) positive role of AM-supporting weeds on forming shared mycorrhizal hyphal connections in agroecosystems. While some authors conceptualized AM as a weed control tool, others underlined their selective effect on weed communities. Recent studies suggest that AM-host weeds can participate in the development of a common mycorrhizal mycelial network (MMN) among different plants species. Nevertheless, direct evidence of the actual exchange of nutrients and C between coexisting plants through MMN in agroecosystems is missing. Although the effect of agricultural practices on plant community-AM interactions are complex, more conservative farming management seems to foster AM populations. Future studies should focus on: (i) field studies, (ii) weed communities and their traits, rather than on the most abundant species, and (iii) the use of advanced analytical techniques, able to monitor MMN development and functionality.