Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient for plant growth. It is as phosphate that plants take up P from the soil solution. Since little phosphate is available to plants in most soils, plants have evolved a range of mechanisms to acquire and use P efficiently - including the development of symbiotic relationships that help them access sources of phosphorus beyond the plant's own range. At the same time, in agricultural systems, applications of inorganic phosphate fertilizers aimed at overcoming phosphate limitation are unsustainable and can cause pollution.

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