PLANTS, PEOPLE, PLANET
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi enhance plant performance in trace element‐contaminated soils with element‐specific accumulation patterns
Summary Societal Impact Statement Soil contamination by toxic trace elements is a growing global challenge that threatens food safety, agricultural productivity, and ecosystem health. We combined results from many experiments worldwide to assess whether beneficial soil fungi can help plants cope with contaminated soils. Our meta‐analysis shows that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) consistently improve plant growth and nutrition while reducing the translocation of potentially toxic elements, particularly cadmium, …