Agricultural perspectives of mycorrhizal glomalin as “soil fertility determinants”

Abstract

Agriculture is a multifunctional unit that involves microorganisms, plants, and animals. They interact together by carrying out various metabolic functions either symbiotically or parasitically or mutualistically. Such interactions help maintain the ecological balance. However, microorganisms play an essential role in maintaining the integrity of soil ecology. In particular, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are the most common microorganisms symbiotically associated with plants. The AM fungi are important in agriculture and have been explored because of their plant growth-improving properties. However, the present review illustrates how the protein (glomalin) produced by AM fungi is helpful in enriching the soil nutrient pool. As soil fertility is one of the factors that determine the output of agriculture, functional properties of AMF are also responsible for mitigation of heavy metal contamination caused by anthropological activities in addition to soil nutrient enrichment.