The arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis a modulator of cadmium stress

International audience; Ecosystems are submitted to various abiotic stresses, among which heavy metals represent major industrial pollutants. Cadmium (Cd), that has damaging effects on plant metabolism, occurs in agricultural environments through industrial pollution and human activities, including phosphate fertiliser and sewage sludge applications. Metal availability to plants can be modulated by soil microorganisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In the present work, Cd effects on the model legume Medicago truncatula inoculated or not with the AM fungus Glomus intraradices have been studied at 3 levels: (1) plant biomass production together with green part chlorophyll quantif…