Effect and Mechanism of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Herbs / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi （AMF） can establish mycorrhizal symbiosis system with most terrestrial plants，and play important roles in their growth and development. However，there is no systematic analysis and summarization of their roles in the growth, biosynthesis and accumulation of active substances of herbs，as well as stress-resistance mechanism. First，the main research methods of AMF were summarized in the paper，including the separation of AMF spores，morphological identification，chemical staining and molecular identification. The main morphological structures of some AMF were detailed in the table. In terms of growth promotion，AMF promoted the growth by prolonging mycelium，enhancing phosphatase secretion，organic acid，activation of soil and increasing absorption efficiency. In the aspect of biosynthesis and accumulation of flavonoids，terpenoids and other active substances in herbs，AMF improved the contents by regulating activities of signal substances and key enzymes involved in the metabolism of secondary products. In addition，AMF could alleviate a series of stresses caused by drought，heavy metal，high salt，high or low temperature by improving the activity of antioxidant enzymes，enhancing the ability of plants to scavenge free radicals，complexing toxic heavy metals，diluting high salt concentration，or inducing the expressions of key genes. Finally，the application prospects and in-depth study of AMF in the ecological planting of herbs were discussed, in order to provide reference for promoting relevant research.