Mycorrhiza Biofertilizer

Mycorrhiza Biofertilizer is also known as VAM (Myco = Fungal + rrhiza = roots) adheres to plants rhizoids leading to development of hyphae. Hyphae boost development and spreading of white root in to soil leading to significant increase in rhizosphere. These hyphae further penetrate and form arbuscules within the root cortical. VAM fungi form a special symbiotic relationship with roots of plant that can enhance growth and survivability of colonized plants. Mycorrhiza Biofertilizer is very useful in organic farming as well as normal commercial farming.

Advantages

• Enhanced Uptake of Nutrients and water : extended root-zone facilitates availability of major / micro nutrients and water from untouched layer of the soil.
• Increased Solubility of Soil Minerals : Facilitates solubiliization of unavailable forms of phosphorus and other nutrients that can be taken up by the plant roots reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers up to 35%.
• Uniform Plant Growth : Fungal hypae have positive impact on the hydric status and soil aggregation, leading to more uniform plant growth.
• Improved soil texture & structure with reduced soil erosion : VAM fungi produce chemicals that prevent compaction of the soil particles, making them more porous facilitating root penetration in the soil and increased soil microflora. Thus, better root biomass reduces soil erosion.
• Secondary disease controlling agent and enhanced resistance to root related diseases : VAM fungi have been reported to be responsible for a transient stimulation of host-plant disease resistance mechanisms.
• Increase resistance against drought, salinity, heavy metal and other abiotic stresses : VAM fungi are known to scavenge the metal polllutants in the immediate surroundings of then plant roots and accumulating them in the hypae. As the VAM fungi facilitate enhance uptake of water and other nutrients, they help the host plant to overcome adverse soil conditions.
• Improved Hardiness and ”Transient Transplant Shock’ of Tissue Culture raised Plant : Due to theirability to facilitate better root growth and uptake of nutrients. VAM fungi improve survival frequency of transplanted stocks, and also improves the hardening of tissue culture
• Increase efficacy of other soil applicable biologica formulation : VAM fungi increase root biomas which is primary requirements for other organisms viz. Rhizobium spp., Trichoderma spp., etc resulting in significant improvement in their functionality and use efficiency.

Plant disease resistance induced by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

• Source of Information : Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao. 2003 May;14(5):819-22. Huang J, Luo S, Zeng R. Author information

• Abstract : In recent years, the induced disease resistance of plant by Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) has become a hot spot in chemo-ecological study and in biocontrol of plant disease. There were many reports indicating that AMF had antagonistic function to soilborne disease pathogen, or could suppress the growth of pathogen, and increase the resistance or tolerance of mycorrhizal plants to soilborne disease. In mycorrhizosphere, there are interactions among microbial community, in which, AMF could suppress the growth of pathogen and promote the growth of beneficial microbe. Thus, AMF may use as biocontrol fungi with other antagonism microbe. There were several hypotheses about the mechanisms of the increased resistance in mycorrhizal plants :

  • Improvement of plant nutrient status;

  • Competition;

  • Changed roots morphology and structure;

  • Changed microbial flora in rhizosphere;

  • Induced resistance or systematic resistance in plant.

After colonized by AMF, phenolic compounds accumulate in plant, and local defense response or systemic defense response occurs. It is necessary to do intensive research on the mechanisms of increased resistance in mycorrhizal plants, because it may help us understand the function of disease resistance of mycorrhiza correctly, and let us use AMF as a new biocontrol method to control soilborne disease in eco-agriculture in the near future.
PMID : 12924148, [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Available Formulations : 120 I.P./ gram (infective propagules) – for soil application
Recommended Doses : 5 kg per acre for all crops