Fungal community in mitigating impacts of drought in plants

Abstract

Drought is a serious and common threat to plant survival worldwide and is getting intensified due to global warming and decreasing water levels thereby possessing challenges on food security. The responses of plants to changing environment are complex. All adaption and acclimatization strategies are at physiological cost at the organism level which can affect ecosystem functioning at large. Mycorrhizae and endophytes are representative symbiotic association of the plants and fungi and are capable of modulating the physiological response of plants to water stress and overcome yield barrier. Water and nutrients available to plant are determined by the rhizospheric water potential which can be manifested to some extent by the AMF. The fungal community forming symbiosis with plants may exert their effect through phytohormones production, solubilization of nutrients, and induction of pathogen resistance or increasing abiotic stress tolerance through increased antioxidant levels in plants. While research supports the fungal endophytes and mycorrhizae as an ecofriendly alternative to combat drought stress, a better perceptive of physiological effects of these microbes to stress can develop a stronger and resilient agroecosystem.