Mycorrhiza

Mycorrhizal fungi are filamentous fungi symbiotically associated with plant roots. These fungi can colonize the interior of root cells while maintaining a portion of their hyphae on the outside. This intimate interaction with plant roots has several beneficial effects on both plants and fungi. The effects promoted by mycorrhizal fungi include greater soil exploitation efficiency due to the increase in the area of root uptake, with a consequent increase in the absorption of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Mycorrhizal fungi also increase plant tolerance to abiotic stresses, including water and pest attacks. Interaction with mycorrhizal fungi also provides plants with greater tolerance to saline soils and the presence of potentially toxic metals. This chapter describes the novel findings and recent studies that show the interactions of mycorrhizal fungi with other phosphorus-solubilizing fungi, diazotrophic and nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria. The use of mycorrhizal fungi in agriculture represents a great potential for facing all the current challenges of global agriculture, including reducing the cost of production while minimizing the possible environmental impact without detrimenting productivity.