"Plants don't have roots, they have mycorrhizae."
Prof. José Miguel Barea†, Granada
A plant that enjoys a mycorrhizal symbiosis is not only better nourished and watered but also tolerates various stresses, before all abiotic ones such as drought, salinity, pollutants or degraded soils. While not being able to fight and control biotic stresses, it will contribute to a certain tolerance to them (pathogens, nematodes). The worse the growing conditions, the best the beneficial effects of mycorrhizae.
The agronomic advantages of using endomycorrhizal inocula are higher yield, precocity, loss reduction at transplanting, and more homogeneous fruit quality (wastage reduction). In lawns, asides of the general benefits provided by the symbiosis, up to 40% reduction of irrigation requirement as well as less compact soils can be achieved. The corresponding economic benefits are significant, as the costs for inoculants and their application are more than compensated, by a multiple between 5 and 20 times.
Low investment, common skill requirements, absence of regulatory interferences, low costs, absence of patent barriers: the in vivo process is predestined for self-production of mycorrhizal inoculants.
