Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Research
Open Access

Abstract

Diversity and Agricultural Applications of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Mexico

Alejandro Alarcon, Laura Veronica Hernandez-Cuevas, Ronald Ferrera-Cerrato and Alicia Franco-Ramirez

 The knowledge about the genetic and the functional diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) is an important ecological issue that deserves greater research efforts specially when trying to use them into biotechnological approaches in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and ecological restoration. Genetic diversity of AMF is almost unexplored in Mexico. In turn, the functional diversity of these fungi has been poorly evaluated from some ecological studies. However, based on the beneficial effects on growth promotion and nutrition of plants of agronomic importance, some promising strains and consortia of AMF have been obtained. This work shows the beneficial effects of AMF that were isolated from several regions of the Mexican Republic, and to highlight the need to explore the genetic and the functional diversity of AMF from different ecosystems and agrosystems of Mexico, which is considered not only as one of the most biodiverse countries but also for being a domestication center for several cultivated plants which are important from a cultural and a human nutrition point of view.