Native Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Agro-Industries in Arid Lands: Productions, Applications Strategies and Challenges

Abstract

Bio-fertilizers based on mycorrhizal fungi represent a natural way to enrich the soil in respect of environmental balance. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are the most common symbiotic association between terrestrial plants and microorganisms, which are known to improve plants development and growth, especially under stress conditions. The potential for application of AMF in agricultures is an agro-ecological approach to allow better use of soil nutrient reserves. That receives increasing consideration for their prospective application for sustainable agriculture. The present chapter aims to highlight the agro-industrial strategy of AMF bio-fertilizers production explaining agronomics, ecological and economic approaches and benefits. This study aims to focus on the importance of production of bio-fertilizers based on indigenous AMF strains and their role in improving soils enrichment, which will subsequently lead to improved production and agricultural yields on degraded arid soils.

The contribution of fungi to the global economy

“…Mycorrhizal fungi such as arbuscular mycorrhiza and ectomycorrhiza are considered natural biofertilizers since they provide important nutrients to the plant in exchange for photosynthetic products (Berruti et al 2016;Domínguez-Núñez et al 2020). A mycorrhiza-based biofertilizer is a substrate containing fungi colonizing the rhizosphere or the interior of the plant when applied to seeds, plant surfaces, or soil (Hyde et al 2019;Karima and Samia 2020). It helps in plant growth by enhancing the supply primary nutrients to the host plant and promoting growth hormones (Berruti et al 2016).…”