Grow your own mycorrhizal fungi

Summary

Application of mycorrhizal fungi is a simple technique for improving the growth as well as tolerance against biotic and abiotic stresses of a wide range of crop plants. In addition, they can help to improve the soil structure and to prevent nutrient leaching. Mycorrhizal products offered as bio-fertilizers and plant strentheners by many companies are rather expensive and often lack quality control. This article, adapted from a Practice Abstract written for the SolACE (Solutions for improving Agroecosystem and Crop Efficiency for water and nutrient use) project, is an easy-to-follow guide describing the process on how to produce home-made mycorrhizal inoculants and how they can be applied as bio-fertilizers in the nursery and during transplanting in the field.