Underground Architects of Resilience: Biodiversity and Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Productivity and Adaptation to Arid Environments.

内容摘要

The date palm is an icon of resilience in arid ecosystems, yet its survival is increasingly challenged by climate change and disease. Belowground, a powerful symbiotic solution exists: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF). This review synthesizes eight decades of research, from the pioneering observations in 1940 to contemporary studies, to build a comprehensive understanding of this critical partnership. We explore the vast, largely untapped biogeographic diversity of AMF, from the oases of North Africa to the deserts of Arabia, and detail the physiological and molecular mechanisms that underpin AMF-mediated tolerance to salinity, drought, and pathogens like Fusarium oxysporum. Evidence from individual studies indicates that AMF inoculation can increase plant biomass by more than 100% under specific stress conditions and substantially reduce Bayoud disease severity, although the magnitude of these effects varies with fungal identity, host cultivar, and experimental conditions. We then bridge this fundamental knowledge to cutting-edge biotechnological applications, including the design of precision inoculants and scalable in vitro production systems. We conclude by outlining a strategic vision for future research, focusing on the development of cultivar-specific consortia and the integration of multi-omics, to translate this fundamental ecological interaction into robust, sustainable agricultural solutions.