Chapter 12 Role of Iron in Plant–Microbe Interactions

Iron is an essential micronutrient for plants and associated microorganisms. Iron nutrition of these organisms relies on the soil supply. However, bioavailability of iron in cultivated soils is low. Plants and microorganisms have thus evolved active strategies of iron uptake based on acidification, chelation, and/or reduction processes. Iron acquisition by these organisms leads to complex interactions ranging from mutualism to competition. In the rhizosphere, plants support abundant and active microbial communities through the release of rhizodeposits. Iron uptake by these microorganisms and by the host plant decrease even more the concentration of iron in solution. Therefore, there is an i…