Abstract
Improving crop yield and quality has always been a concern to meet the demands at the consumer level. But our current chemical fertilizer-based agricultural practices are breaking the bridge between the ecosystem and economy and raising the issue of sustainability in agriculture. Considering agriculture as biospheric inter-kingdom interaction, every organism is in some sort of interaction with others for its existence. When addressing the sustainability issue in agriculture, these fundamental aspects of the ecosystem should not be ignored. In this context, biofertilizers are not a new concept. At the application level, many workers around the world discover the deeper dynamics of the effects of biofertilizers on agroecosystems. So, it is very much essential and pertinent to rediscover the current trends and practices of biofertilizers in agroecosystems to meet the present demand for crop productivity. Presently, most of the biofertilizers being used in agroecosystems are microorganisms like phosphate-solubilizing bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and mycorrhiza, out of which the major focus has gained by plant growth-promoting microbes (PGPR) and diazotrophic microbes, whereas mycorrhizal biofertilizers, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), are relatively lagging at the application level. The major reasons could be the lack of knowledge on the basic aspects related to the persistence of these mycorrhizal fungi in field conditions, amplitude, and nature of interactions with other microorganisms, particularly the host-specific fungi for field use. Different studies conducted on these mycorrhizal biofertilizers show an approximate 12–15% increment in average yield in crops. The studies also reflect that the application has also resulted in rejuvenating fertility and soil health for a prolonged time. Studies revealed that mycorrhiza formation induces an altered plant metabolome increasing crop yield, reducing weed community, increasing stress tolerance, and also playing a role in mycoremediation. The present literature reflects, in a nutshell, the current trends of research on how arbuscular mycorrhizae can contribute to establishing sustainable agriculture for future generations.
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Abbreviations
- AMF:
-
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
- EPA:
-
US Environmental Protection Agency
- IARC:
-
International Agency for Research on Cancer
- NADPH:
-
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate reduced
- PGPR:
-
Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria
- REEs:
-
Rare earth elements
- ROS:
-
Reactive oxygen species
- WHO:
-
World Health Organization
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the funding agencies, viz., WB DST (Memo No. 285(Sanc.)/ST/P/S & T/2G-10/2017; Dated: 28.03.2018), UGC-DAE-CRS (Memo No. UGC-DAE-CSR-KC/CRS/19/RB-02/1045/1063; Dated: 10.05.2019), and West Bengal Biodiversity Board (WBBB) (Memo No. 1218/3 K(Bio)-6/2019; Dated: 11.11.2019) for researching AM fungi.
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Mitra, P.K., Adhikary, R., Mandal, V. (2023). Current Status of Mycorrhizal Biofertilizer in Crop Improvement and Its Future Prospects. In: Mathur, P., Kapoor, R., Roy, S. (eds) Microbial Symbionts and Plant Health: Trends and Applications for Changing Climate. Rhizosphere Biology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0030-5_17
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