Signals and Machinery for Mycorrhizae and Cereal and Oilseed Interactions towards Improved Tolerance to Environmental Stresses
Aiman Slimani,
Mohamed Ait-El-Mokhtar,
Raja Ben-Laouane,
Abderrahim Boutasknit,
Mohamed Anli,
El Faiza Abouraicha,
Khalid Oufdou,
Abdelilah Meddich,
Marouane Baslam
Affiliations
Aiman Slimani
Centre d’Agrobiotechnologie et Bioingénierie, Unité de Recherche Labellisée CNRST (Centre AgroBiotech-URL-CNRST-05), Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco
Mohamed Ait-El-Mokhtar
Laboratory of Biochemistry, Environment & Agri-Food URAC 36, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Techniques—Mohammedia, Hassan II University, Mohammedia 28800, Morocco
Raja Ben-Laouane
Laboratory of Environment and Health, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Techniques, Errachidia 52000, Morocco
Abderrahim Boutasknit
Centre d’Agrobiotechnologie et Bioingénierie, Unité de Recherche Labellisée CNRST (Centre AgroBiotech-URL-CNRST-05), Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco
Mohamed Anli
Laboratory of Agro-Food, Biotechnologies and Valorization of Plant Bioresources (AGROBIOVAL), Department of Biology, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco
El Faiza Abouraicha
Centre d’Agrobiotechnologie et Bioingénierie, Unité de Recherche Labellisée CNRST (Centre AgroBiotech-URL-CNRST-05), Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco
Khalid Oufdou
Laboratory of Microbial Biotechnologies, Agrosciences, and Environment, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco
Abdelilah Meddich
Centre d’Agrobiotechnologie et Bioingénierie, Unité de Recherche Labellisée CNRST (Centre AgroBiotech-URL-CNRST-05), Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco
Marouane Baslam
Centre d’Agrobiotechnologie et Bioingénierie, Unité de Recherche Labellisée CNRST (Centre AgroBiotech-URL-CNRST-05), Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco
In the quest for sustainable agricultural practices, there arises an urgent need for alternative solutions to mineral fertilizers and pesticides, aiming to diminish the environmental footprint of farming. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) emerge as a promising avenue, bestowing plants with heightened nutrient absorption capabilities while alleviating plant stress. Cereal and oilseed crops benefit from this association in a number of ways, including improved growth fitness, nutrient uptake, and tolerance to environmental stresses. Understanding the molecular mechanisms shaping the impact of AMF on these crops offers encouraging prospects for a more efficient use of these beneficial microorganisms to mitigate climate change-related stressors on plant functioning and productivity. An increased number of studies highlighted the boosting effect of AMF on grain and oil crops’ tolerance to (a)biotic stresses while limited ones investigated the molecular aspects orchestrating the different involved mechanisms. This review gives an extensive overview of the different strategies initiated by mycorrhizal cereal and oilseed plants to manage the deleterious effects of environmental stress. We also discuss the molecular drivers and mechanistic concepts to unveil the molecular machinery triggered by AMF to alleviate the tolerance of these crops to stressors.
