Establishing a quality management framework for commercial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

M. J. Salomon, S. J. Watts-Williams, M. J. McLaughlin, H. Bucking, Brajesh K. Singh, I. Hutter, C. Schneider, F. M. Martin, M. Vosatka, L. Guo, T. Ezawa, M. Saito, S. Declerck, Y. G. Zhu, T. Bowles, L. K. Abbott, F. A. Smith, T. R. Cavagnaro, M. G. A. van der Heijden

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Microbial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are potential tools in increasing the sustainability of our food production systems. Given the demand for sustainable agriculture, the production of such inoculants has potential economic value and has resulted in a variety of commercial inoculants currently being advertised. However, their use is limited by inconsistent product efficacy and lack of consumer confidence. Here, we propose a framework that can be used to assess the quality and reliability of AM inoculants. First, we set out a range of basic quality criteria which are required to achieve reliable inoculants. This is followed by a standardized bioassay which can be used to test inoculum viability and efficacy under controlled conditions. Implementation of these measurements would contribute to the adoption of AM inoculants by producers with the potential to increase sustainability in food production systems.
Original languageEnglish
Article number104636
Number of pages11
JournaliScience
Volume25
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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