ABSTRACT
The role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in tea cultivation Shipra Singh and Anita Pandey, G. B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, India; and Lok Man S. Palni, Graphic Era University, India
1 Introduction
2 AMF, tea and the tea rhizosphere
3 Development of AMF-based bioformulation for tea plantations
4 Plant growth promotion following inoculation with AMF consortia
5 AMF inoculation, tea growth and tea quality
6 Conclusion and future perspectives
7 Where to look for further information
8 Acknowledgements
9 References
Current soil management strategies mainly depend on synthetic fertilizers, and are likely to cause environmental deterioration and human health hazards. Prolonged use of chemical fertilizers severely damages soil as trace elements are not replenished. The crops are harvested without doing anything for the sustainability of the soil. Moreover, the problem of over-nutrition caused by inappropriate use of synthetic nutrients is deleterious to natural microflora and disturbs soil pH. Highly soluble chemical fertilizers dissolve into soil quite rapidly. Since plants can only absorb a certain amount of fertilizer, most of the chemicals are leached away to groundwater, resulting in pollution. As these problems increase, the importance of maintaining soil fertility for crop security is being realized.
