Progress and Challenges in Agricultural Applications of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

Arbuscular mycorrhiza is a widespread interaction between plant roots and mutualistic fungi that both promotes plant mineral nutrition and supports stability in many natural ecosystems. Given the demand in current agriculture for these ecosystem services, it appears desirable to further integrate this interaction in current management schemes. While two different approaches can be identified in this regard, a number of problems have limited the agricultural application of mycorrhiza to date. In this review, the sensitivity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to certain agricultural management methods, the functional variability of arbuscularmy corrhizal fungi, and the variability of plant responsiveness will be discussed in particular. In addition we will focus on recent advances in the study of mycorrhiza in natural ecosystems, and illustrate how such knowledge might be used to further the integration of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in agricultural regimes, and so increase the sustainability and robustness of current practice.