Abstract
Mycorrhizal fungi greatly enhanced the ability of plants to take up phosphorus and other nutrients those are relatively immobile and exist in low concentration in the soil solution. Fungi can be important in the uptake of other nutrients by the host plant. Zinc nutrition is most commonly reported as being influenced by the association, although uptake of copper (Cu) , iron, N, K, Ca and Mg has been reported to be enhanced. Water uptake may be improved by mycorrhizal association, making more resistant to drought condition. Often both water and nutrient uptake are higher in drought stressed mycorrhizal plants than in non mycorrhizal plants. The fungal strands are capable of altering the water potential of plants and can only alleviate moderate drought stress and in more severe drought conditions they become ineffective.
Highlights
Mycorrhizal fungi have a close symbiotic relationship with plant roots
Mycorrhizal fungi colonize the plant’s root system and develop a symbiotic association called “mycorrhiza”. They form a network of fine filaments that associate with plant roots and draw nutrients and water from the soil that the root system would not be able to access otherwise
For many plant species including most agricultural crops the predominant type of fungal infection is vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM). This name derives from the occurrence of two types of structures characteristics of the fungi belongs to the family Endogonaceae i.e. arbuscules (Arbuscules are finely-branched structures that form within a cell and serve as a major metabolic exchange site between the plant and the fungus) and Vesicles
Summary
Mycorrhizal fungi colonize the plant’s root system and develop a symbiotic association called “mycorrhiza” They form a network of fine filaments that associate with plant roots and draw nutrients and water from the soil that the root system would not be able to access otherwise. For many plant species including most agricultural crops the predominant type of fungal infection is vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) This name derives from the occurrence of two types of structures characteristics of the fungi belongs to the family Endogonaceae i.e. arbuscules (Arbuscules are finely-branched structures that form within a cell and serve as a major metabolic exchange site between the plant and the fungus) and Vesicles (sac-like structures, emerging from hyphae, which serve as storage organs for lipids). Secretion of enzymes breaks down tough organic substrates that can be absorbed and used by the fungus and/or host plant as energy and nutrient sources for growth and reproduction
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