Arbuscular mycorrhizae : interactions in plants, rhizosphere and soils

In recent times, rapid progress were made in arbuscular mycorrhizal research and in understanding of early events of colonization and host-induced changes, role of specific enzymes in proliferation and spread of AM fungi, availability of suitable probes to characterize individual species in situ consortia, and more recent creation of two new families, viz., Archaeoglomaceae and Paraglomaceae. On a more interactive front, a great deal has happend in the realm of rhizosphere and the associated influences that have culminated in the acceptance of the terms 'mycorrhizosphere' and 'hyphosphere' as also the characterization of the mycorrhization helper bacteria (MHB). These developments and the very fact that a rich microbial population internalizes AM spores, has opened up a challenging scenaario for future research besides targeting AM fungi in delivery of foreign genes, thus meeting the desired goals of more subtle placement and associated management strategies in the realm of soil health and plant productivity.