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Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous symbiotic organisms that are linked to approximately 80 percent of the plants on land, which have a principal role in plant nutrition and in the functioning of the ecosystem. The review summarizes the existing information about the nature, utilization characteristics, and practical importance of AM fungi in sustainable agricultural application. The AM fungi support plant growth, and productivity by enhancing uptake of vital nutrients especially phosphorus and micronutrients, due to large networks of hyphae which spread outside the root zone. They also control the main physiological functions, such as photosynthesis, transpiration and water relations, hence enhancing the performance of the plants in varying environmental conditions. Host genotype, soil characteristics, and environmental conditions are the factors that affect the functional diversity of AM fungi as an entity that dictates the colonization efficiency and symbiotic success. Moreover, AM fungi have been found to confer plant resistance to abiotic stresses like drought, salinity, heavy metal toxicity by responding to the said factor through nutrient modulation, metal sequestration, and control of stress-responsive signaling. They also have a positive impact on soil structure and help to bioremediate the contaminated soil, which is yet another ecological value of this group. Moreover, the use of AM fungi as biofertilizers and their role in increasing crop yield and quality is also discussed in this review. Although they have some benefits, the large-scale commercialization faces problems including difficulties in mass production, strain specificity, quality control, and regulation. All in all, AM fungi is an effective solution to sustainable agriculture, just more studies are required to improve the efficiency of the widespread use of this technology and its functionality in the fields

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