Red/Far Red (R/FR) sensing positively influences the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis of both legume and nonlegume plants through jasmonic acid (JA) and strigolactone signaling. We previously reported that root exudates obtained from high R/FR-grown plants contained more strigolactone than low R/FR-grown plants. To determine whether JA and JA derivatives were secreted from roots, we investigated the expression levels of JA-responsive genes in L. japonicus Miyakojima MG20 plants treated with root exudates prepared from either high or low R/FR light-treated plants. The root exudates from high R/FR light-treated plants were found to enhance the expression levels of JA-responsive genes significantly. Moreover, exogenous JA increased AM fungal hyphal elongation as did the root exudates derived from high R/FR-grown L. japonicus plants. We conclude that increased JA accumulation and secretion into root exudates from high R/FR light-grown plants is the best explanation for increased colonization and enhanced mycorrhization under these conditions.

Establishment of a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between legumes and rhizobia not only requires sufficient photosynthate, but also the sensing of the ratio of red to far red (R/FR) light. Here, we show that R/FR light sensing also positively influences the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis of a legume and a non-legume through jasmonic acid (JA) and strigolactone (SL) signaling. The level of AM colonization in high R/FR light-grown tomato and Lotus japonicus significantly increased compared with that determined for low R/FR light-grown plants. Transcripts for JA-related genes were also elevated under high R/FR conditions. The root exudates derived from high R/FR light-grown plants contained more (+)-5-deoxystrigol, an AM-fungal hyphal branching inducer, than those from low R/FR light-grown plants. In summary, high R/FR light changes not only the levels of JA and SL synthesis, but also the composition of plant root exudates released into the rhizosphere, in this way augmenting the AM symbiosis.