Underground Explorers
Press coverage around SPUN and mycorrhizal fungal networks.
Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in an ancestral farming system in the Desierto del Monte
Carolina Rothen
La Rioja, Argentina
Cohort:
2024
project abstract
In the Department of Castro Barros (Province of La Rioja, Argentina) there is an ancestral form of cultivation that is still alive today. There, farmers have a deep knowledge of the environment that, together with their hereditary soil management practices, make possible the cultivation of corn and squash in the driest areas of the Monte Desert. This project proposes to study the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizae present in this ancestral form of cultivation and in the surrounding Desierto del Monte. Our hypothesis is that these agroecosystem management practices conserve a high diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The results obtained will demonstrate the precious knowledge of these farmers to achieve regenerative agriculture in the desert, and value for society the products they obtain free of chemical inputs.
Photo by Darío Bonzi on Unsplash