Upscaling Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis and Related Agroecosystems Services in Smallholder Farming Systems
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Date
2016
Authors
Oruru, M.B.
Njeru, E.M.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Abstract
Smallholder farming systems form unique ecosystems that can protect beneficial soil biota and form an important source of
useful genetic resources.They are characterized by high level of agricultural diversity mainly focused on meeting farmers’ needs.
Unfortunately, these systems often experience poor crop production mainly associated with poor planning and resource scarcity.
Soil fertility is among the primary challenges faced by smallholder farmers, which necessitate the need to come up with affordable
and innovative ways of replenishing soils. One such way is the use of microbial symbionts such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
(AMF), a beneficial group of soil microbiota that form symbiotic associations with majority of cultivated crops and play a vital
role in biological soil fertility, plant nutrition, and protection. AMF can be incorporated in smallholder farming systems to help
better exploit chemical fertilizers inputs which are often unaffordable to many smallholder farmers.The present review highlights
smallholder farming practices that could be innovatively redesigned to increaseAMFsymbiosis and related agroecosystem services.
Indeed, the future of global food security depends on the success of smallholder farming systems, whose crop productivity depends
on the services provided by well-functioning ecosystems, including soil fertility.
Description
Research Article
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Citation
BioMed Research International; 2016, Article ID 4376240