Advances and Current Perspectives on Root Organ Culture of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi

Abstract

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in enhancing plant growth through nutrient uptake, restoring soil quality, and increasing plant resistance from various biotic and abiotic stresses, making them vital for sustainable agriculture and ecosystem management. The development of AMF-root organ cultures (ROC) is the most promising technique for large-scale production and wider application for sustainable agriculture. The AMF-ROC system facilitates high-quality contaminant-free bulk inoculum in less time and limited space. Despite this, the system has also many constrained such as the system is not universal for all AMF species, variability in sporulation rate, need for cost-effective scaling. Recent developments in bioreactor-based production and liquid culture-based cultivation enhanced hope for large-scale production. However, further research is required for protocol optimization, high spore production, and reducing the cost of production. This review highlights the current status, challenges, and future perspective of AMF-ROC development and their scaling for mass production as well as emphasizing their wider application for sustainable agriculture.