The Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza in Sustainable Environment and Agriculture

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are a class of beneficial microorganisms that are widely distributed in soil ecosystems and can form symbiotic associations with more than 90% of terrestrial higher plants. They play an important role in promoting plant growth, improving plant disease resistance and stress resistance, and maintaining the sustainable development of agricultural ecosystem. In addition, mycorrhizal fungi can degrade residual organic pollutants such as pesticides and herbicides in soil and also improve the health of heavy metal-contaminated soils and therefore play a major role in the bioremediation of polluted soil environment. The role of AM fungi in agricultural development and environmental remediation was explored from the perspectives of crop yield, water use efficiency, pest control, improvement of crop quality, remediation of agricultural nonpoint source pollution, remediation of refractory organic pollution, and remediation of heavy metal pollution. This paper focused on the latest advances and summarized the two important functions to test mycorrhizal fungi to promote agricultural production and environmental restoration and prospected the future development trend.