Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi as sustainable biofertilizers with an approach to improving agricultural productivity under water crisis conditions

چکیده

     The increasing water shortage caused by climate change, population growth, and unsustainable resource management has become one of the serious threats to food security and agricultural sustainability in the world. Therefore, identifying environmental and biologically-based solutions that can maintain agricultural crop performance under water-limited conditions has become a fundamental scientific priority. Among the beneficial soil microorganisms, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi play an important ecological and functional role in plant-soil interactions and are of great interest as sustainable biofertilizers in agriculture.

     This article critically summarizes recent advances in understanding the multifaceted mechanisms by which mycorrhizal fungi enhance plant resistance to drought stress. These mechanisms include: improving root system architecture and hydraulic conductivity, enhancing the uptake and transport of essential nutrients— especially phosphorus, nitrogen, and trace elements, osmotic regulation through the accumulation of stress-compensating compounds, enhancing antioxidant defense systems, and modulating stress-responsive hormonal networks. In addition to physiological and biochemical regulation, molecular perspectives on plant resistance by these fungi are also discussed.

     This paper also evaluates the effects of mycorrhizal fungi on crop yield stability, nutritional and phytochemical quality, soil structure improvement, and long-term biological fertility of soil in different agricultural systems and diverse environmental conditions.

     Including host-fungal specificities, field yield diversity, mass production of microorganisms, and the impact of soil heterogeneity due to climate change on arbuscular fungal performance, overcoming these limitations is essential for transferring technologies based on these fungi to practical and economic agricultural applications.

      Future research perspectives are presented with an emphasis on integrating these fungi into smart and climate-resilient agricultural frameworks, using omics approaches for species selection, and developing regional biofertilizer management strategies. Existing evidence suggests that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, as the backbone of sustainable agriculture, can be an effective strategy for increasing crop yield, plant resilience, and soil health in the face of global water scarcity