Abstract
The demand for ornamental plants is increasing due to urban greening and rural construction, while the growing environment of plants, especially the soil environment, is deteriorating. Hence, sustainable methods of ornamental plant cultivation need to be developed quickly. The application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to ornamental plants can be one of the eco-friendly ways to achieve the objective. Soil AMF establish mycorrhizal symbiosis with roots of ornamental plants, which can develop a marvelous mycorrhizal mycelium network in the rhizosphere to stimulate nutrient and water acquisition of host plants. Numerous researches have proven that AMF improved the quality of ornamental plants, like fruit yield, height, biomass, seed quality, the size and number of flowers, leaf, and root. In addition, mycorrhizal fungi also improve nutrient uptake and endogenous hormone balance of host plants. Another important function of AMF is to regulate the physiological, biochemical, and molecular responses of host plants to adversity, including drought stress, temperature stress, heavy-metal stress, and insect and disease stress. From the perspective of the ecological garden landscape, AMF richness would maintain plant abundance, nutrient and energy balance, and higher productivity in normal and soil environment stress, thus, establishing a friendly-environmental ecosystem. This review also provides the basis to exploit and improve the commercial application of AMF in ornamental plants in the future.
Highlights
As far as 19 centuries, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were found to be symbiotic with roots of terrestrial plants in nature for establishing arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) (Zhang et al, 2020)
At present, the beneficial effects of AMF are confirmed in ornamental plants with better plant growth performance, more nutrient acquisition, and higher resistance to stress (Figure 2)
AMF play a vital role in the establishment and maintenance of the ecological landscape in various soil environments
Summary
As far as 19 centuries, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) were found to be symbiotic with roots of terrestrial plants in nature for establishing arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) (Zhang et al, 2020). Soil AMF establish mycorrhizal symbiosis with roots of ornamental plants, which can develop a marvelous mycorrhizal mycelium network in the rhizosphere to stimulate nutrient and water acquisition of host plants. Comparing with non-AMF plants, AMF-inoculated plants had relatively higher flower number in ornamental plants, such as marigold, geranium, and harlequin (Engel et al, 2016; Varga and Kytöviita, 2010; Scagel, 2004), and increased size and color in carnation and hyacinth (Navarro et al, 2012; Xie and Wu, 2015; Xie et al, 2018).
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