Enhancement of Soil Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi: A Step Towards Restoring Marginal Soils

Soil quality restoration and maintenance are fundamental to achieving food security for the world’s growing population. Despite the importance of soil quality in ensuring food security, most of the lands in Africa and the world at large are predominantly marginal soils. Their ubiquitousness makes them vital in efforts to bring about food security, despite being characterised by poor soil properties which threaten sustainable food production. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in enhancing soil quality and function. The collected literature shows that AMFs can enhance soil properties and crop yields even in marginal soils with soil organic carbon of less than 1%. The extent to which AMFs can enhance soil quality is, however, influenced by the soil type. The data also show that the application of a no-till approach, crop residue retention, crop rotation and organic amendments can improve AMF abundance and diversity even in marginal soils. The conclusion reached, is that AMF have the potential to enhance soil quality and function, thus leading to increased food security. Admittedly, local studies on the best practices to enhance soil AMFs are still needed in Africa, especially under smallholder conditions.