ABSTRACT
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The importance of mycorrhizal symbiosis for plants is widely recognized by the inter-
national scientific community which appreciates that this increases plants’ capacity for
water and nutrient absorption, produces a degree of tolerance for root diseases and pests,
and at the same time improves some of the soil’s physical properties. The literature
supporting these conclusions has been reviewed in Chapter 9. These changes support
plants’ adaptation to stressful conditions, so promoting the colonization of crop roots
by mycorrhizal fungi is considered a means for enhancing agricultural production,
particularly under marginal soil conditions. The use of this production practice is limited,
however, by the current paucity of effective mycorrhizal products tailored for different
production systems and by a lack of research and application programs that proceed with
a systems perspective. The broader utilization of mycorrhizal fungi is also apparently
constrained by an assumption that they should be used mainly for crops growing on
marginal soils. In fact, we have found that the benefits of inoculation are not thus limited.
