Potential of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for soil health

Abstract

Soil health is an important component of “One health”. Soils provide habitat to diverse and abundant organisms. Understanding microbial diversity and functions is essential for building healthy soils towards sustainable agriculture. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form potentially symbiotic associations with approximately 80% of land plant species that are well recognized for carbon flux and nutrient cycling. In addition to disentangling the signaling pathways and regulatory mechanisms between the two partners, recent advances in hyphosphere research highlight some emerging roles of AM fungi and associated microbes in the delivery of soil functions. This paper reviews the contribution of AM fungi to soil health in agroecosystems, with a major focus on recent progress in the contribution of hyphosphere microbiome to nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration and soil aggregation. The hyphosphere microbiome and fungal stimulants open avenues for developing new fertilizer formulas to promote AM fungal benefits. In practice, developing AMF friendly management strategies will have long-term positive impacts on sustainable agriculture aiming at simultaneously providing food security, increasing resource use efficiency, and maintaining environment integrity.