Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) are obligate symbionts to 85% of all land-living plants.
They provide P and other nutrients in exchange for carbohydrates produced in the photosynthesis.
They have proven to alleviate biotic and abiotic stress and to increase soil structure and
biodiversity. They also increase the quality and quantity of crop yield. These perks has sparked an
interest in the agricultural field for commercially produced AMF inoculum. However, usage of
these products has led to mixed results. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate twelve factors
,sorted into four main areas, and how they impact AMF efficiency from the perspective of yield
increase. The areas were “inoculation composition”, “soil management”, “soil conditions and
climate” and “crop qualities” (i.e. species and cultivar). A literature review was conducted using
22 articles. The articles were found on the Web of Science when searching for “yield” “field”
“mycorrhiza” and handpicked based on themes related to the four areas.
Generally, the factors from the areas “inoculum composition” and “soil conditions and climate”
were found to be most influential. Nutrition availability and factors closely related to this (i.e soil
pH, fertilization and climate) had the most impact on inoculation efficiency. The effectiveness
increased with the N:P ratio under low-moderate nutrient availability. The conclusion was that
inoculated AMF has a lot of potential to serve as a way to streamline P uptake and reduce the
doses of P fertilizers needed for satisfactory yields.