“The research in my laboratory focuses on deciphering the molecular basis of bi-directional nutrient fluxes between plant roots and soil microbes, with a particular emphasis on arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal associations. Mycorrhizal fungi considerably improve nutrition of the host plant. Therefore, it is conceivable that utilizing these natural symbioses will reduce the amount of fertilizers in future agricultural and agroforestry practices. We explore the molecular players participating in nutrient allocation in arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal associations using physiological, biochemical, molecular, genetic, and transcriptomic approaches. Our research contributes to the harnessing of plant-microbe associations to improve nutrient use efficiency and tolerance to global environmental changes in agroecosystems.”

Other Web sites:
Scoop-it webpage: http://www.scoop.it/t/nutrient-transport-in-plants
Twitter account: https://twitter.com/Garcia__Kevin

Recent publications:

Guerrero-Galán C., Houdinet G., Calvo-Polanco M., Bonaldi K.E., Garcia K., Zimmermann S.D. (2018) The role of plant transporters in mycorrhizal symbioses. In “Membrane transport in plants”. Christophe Maurel (ed). Advances in Botanical Research, Volume 87. (In press). https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.abr.2018.09.012

Becquer A., Garcia K.^#, Plassard C. (2018) HcPT1.2 participates in Pi acquisition in Hebeloma cylindrosporum external hyphae of ectomycorrhizas under high and low phosphate conditions. Plant Signaling & Behavior. doi: 10.1080/15592324.2018.1525997. ^#corresponding author.

Kafle A., Garcia K., Peta V., Yakha J., Soupir A., Bücking H. (2018) Beneficial plant microbe interactions and their effect on nutrient uptake, yield and stress resistance of soybeans. In “Soybean – The Basis of Yield, Biomass and Productivity“. Minobu Kasai (ed). IntechOpen. (In press).

Kafle A., Garcia K., Wang X., Pfeffer P.E., Strahan G.D., Bücking H. (2018) Nutrient demand and fungal access to resources control the carbon allocation to the symbiotic partners in tripartite interactions of Medicago truncatula. Plant, Cell & Environment. doi: 10.1111/pce.13359.

Becquer A.^*, Garcia K.^*, Amenc L., Rivard C., Doré J., Trives-Segura C., Szponarski W., Russet S., Baeza Y., Lassalle B., Gay G., Zimmermann S.D., Plassard C. (2018) The Hebeloma cylindrosporumHcPT2 Pi transporter plays a key role in the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. New Phytologist. doi: 10.1111/nph.15281. *co-first authors

Guerrero-Galán C., Garcia K., Houdinet G., Zimmermann S.D. (2018) HcTOK1 participates in the maintenance of K+ homeostasis in the ectomycorrhizal fungus Hebeloma cylindrosporum, which is essential for the symbiotic K+ nutrition of Pinus pinaster. Plant Signaling & Behavior. 13(6): e1480845.

Guerrero-Galán C., Delteil A., Garcia K., Houdinet G., Sentenac H., Zimmermann S.D. (2018) Plant potassium nutrition in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis: properties and roles of the three fungal TOK potassium channels in Hebeloma cylindrosporum. Environmental Microbiology. 20: 1873-1887.

Garcia K., Ané, J.M. (2017) Polymorphic responses of Medicago truncatula accessions to potassium deprivation. Plant Signaling & Behavior. 12(4): e1307494.

Garcia K., Chasman D., Roy S., Ané J.M. (2017) Physiological responses and gene co-expression network of mycorrhizal roots under K+ deprivation. Plant Physiology. 173: 1811-1823.