ECOLOGICAL SERVICES OF ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI- A REAPPRAISALAMEETA SHARMA, ANUJA VAJPAYEE, NEHA GHEEK BATRA, KALPANA, ANJALI BHARDWAJ AND P.C. TRIVEDIAbstract Arbuscular Mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are ubiquitous and among the commonest symbiotic association between plants and microbes. It occurs in the majority of natural habitats because they provide a range of important ecological services by improving plant nutrients, pathogen resistance and stress tolerance, soil structure and fertility and many more. It also interacts with most crop plants including cereals, vegetables, and fruit trees. Basic research of the past decade has revealed the existence of a dedicated recognition and signaling pathway that is required for AM. Moreover, current facts provided novel insight into the trade of nutritional payback between the two symbiotic associates. Their importance in agricultural and forestry resides in their role in plant growth and nutrition. Dual inoculation of fungi with a Rhizobium and other bacterium on plant enhance the growth and other beneficial effects viz., resistance to disease and increase tolerance to adverse soil and climatic conditions. Hence, they are considered most promising agent with immense potential use in sustainable agriculture. This review highlights diverse role of Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in plant growth and development regulation, specifically under stress conditions. |