Search

The pivotal role played by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in maintaining plant and soil health has made this group of beneficial fungi a star celebrity amongst a host of beneficial microbes used by human brain for its welfare. Now days because of their myriad beneficiary effects especially on the plant health, they are considered as one of the most potent biological tools for restoration purposes. This review hence focused on the role played by AMF on eco restoration, reaction of AMF to their hosts and the myriad challenges faced by different workers for mycorrhizal application in degraded soils.

Soil is considered as one of the richest source of microbes on the earth. Understanding microbial diversity of soil is a daunting and challenging task. The culture-independent techniques have revealed that the soil microbial diversity is much larger than was understood through culture-dependent techniques. Various DNA- and RNA-based techniques have revolutionized our understanding of soil microbial diversity. This chapter deals with the major culture-independent methods used for the study of soil microbial diversity, their advantages and limitations and advent of metagenomics in microbial diversity studies. Significance of culture-independent techniques in conservation of microbes has also been discussed.