Salomon M. J., Watts-Williams S. J., McLaughlin M. J., Bücking H., Singh B. K., Hutter I., Schneider C., Martin F. M., Vosatka M., Liangdong G., Ezawa T., Saito M., Declerck S., Yong-Guan Z., Bowles T., Abbot L. K., Smith F. A., Cavagnaro T. R., van der Heijden M.
Establishing a quality management framework for commercial inoculants containing arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
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 ofAMinoculants. First,we set out a range of basicquality criteria which are required to achieve reliable inoculants. This is followed by a standardized bioassaywhich 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.
