PROTECTIVE AND SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS IN THE RHIZOSPHERE, ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI AND BENEFICIAL BACTERIA

FERNÁNDEZ BIDONDO LAURA; BETINA INÉS STEPHAN; PARDO ALEJANDRO; JOSEFINA BOMPADRE

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: Effects, analyses and insights

Nova publisher

Lugar: New York; Año: 2017; p. 1 - 14

Since the discovery of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, their morphology and beneficial behavior towards the host plant have been profusely investigated. Nowadays, it is also known that microorganisms as bacteria live intimately associated with AM structures. This leads to new studies in the field of sustainable agriculture, about their combination and the beneficial effect on the host plant.AM fungi exhibitfavorable effects on their host plant growth and development. However, AM inoculation is not only dependent on the plant-fungus combination but also on the soil conditions and the physiological state of the plant. These variables joined to the presence of associated bacteria, potentially alter the direct and indirect benefits of the AM symbiosis in the host plant improvement.In vitro assays studying the combined effects of those microorganisms showed impressive results which are buffered under greenhouse and field conditions. Therefore, it is very important to complement the laboratory and greenhouse work with field conditions, and even through working together with agricultural farmers to achieve optimal results. Taking into account the increasing interest for the reduction of the input of chemical fertilizers and the use of combined microorganisms as biofertilizers, particularly applied in organic agriculture, in this chapter we review our own studies on the impact of these rhizospheric microorganisms on plant host physiology and development.