The active endogenous dTph1 system of the Petunia hybrida mutator line W138 has been used in several forward-genetic mutant screens that were based on visible phenotypes such as flower morphology and color. In contrast, defective symbiotic phosphate (Pi) transport in mycorrhizal roots of Petunia is a hidden molecular phenotype as the symbiosis between plant roots and fungi takes place below ground, and, while fungal colonization can be visualized histochemically, Pi transport and the activity of Pi transporter proteins cannot be assessed visually. Here, we report on a molecular approach in which expression of a mycorrhiza-inducible bi-functional reporter transgene and insertional mutagenesis in Petunia are combined. Bi-directionalization of a mycorrhizal Pi transporter promoter controlling the expression of two reporter genes encoding firefly luciferase and GUS allows visualization of mycorrhiza-specific Pi transporter expression. A population of selectable transposon insertion mutants was established by crossing the transgenic reporter line with the mutator W138, from which the Pitransporter downregulated (ptd1) mutant was identified, which exhibits strongly reduced expression of mycorrhiza-inducible Pi transporters in mycorrhizal roots.