Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi as Biostimulant and Biocontrol Agents: A Review

• Published in: Microorganisms (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 7; p. 1281
• Main Authors: Delaeter, Mathieu, Magnin-Robert, Maryline, Randoux, Béatrice, Lounès-Hadj Sahraoui, Anissa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24.06.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Abiotic stress; Agribusiness; Agriculture; Arbuscular mycorrhizas; Biological control; biostimulation; Carbon; Chemical plants; Crop diseases; Defense mechanisms; Fungi; induced resistance; Inoculum; Life Sciences; markets; Microorganisms; Morphology; mycorrhizal inoculum; Nutrition; Phylogeny; Plant growth; plant protection; Plant resistance; Resistance factors; Reviews; soil; Soil chemistry; Soil improvement; Soil microorganisms; Soil resistance; Soil stresses; Sustainable agriculture; Symbiosis; Taxonomy; vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizae; biostimulation; mycorrhizal inoculum; plant protection; sustainable agriculture
• ISSN: 2076-2607; 2076-2607
• DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12071281

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are soil microorganisms living in symbiosis with most terrestrial plants. They are known to improve plant tolerance to numerous abiotic and biotic stresses through the systemic induction of resistance mechanisms. With the aim of developing more sustainable agriculture, reducing the use of chemical inputs is becoming a major concern. After providing an overview on AMF history, phylogeny, development cycle and symbiosis benefits, the current review aims to explore the potential of AMF as biostimulants and/or biocontrol agents. Nowadays, AMF inoculums are already increasingly used as biostimulants, improving mineral nutrient plant acquisition. However, their role as a promising tool in the biocontrol market, as an alternative to chemical phytosanitary products, is underexplored and underdiscussed. Thus, in the current review, we will address the mechanisms of mycorrhized plant resistance to biotic stresses induced by AMF, and highlight the various factors in favor of inoculum application, but also the challenges that remain to be overcome.