Cacao - arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi association: A review on its increased potential in improving the ecology of cacao plantations in the Philippines

Issue Date

10-2020

Abstract

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) is both an economically and ecologically important crop worldwide especially in the Philippines, a tropical country suitable for its growth and cultivation. The association of this crop with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) is an understudied field but the benefits reported from this symbiosis highlights their irreplaceable role in enhancing growth conditions by facilitating the uptake of phosphorus, increasing yield through increased plant health and productivity, and in several ecological aspects such as soil biological dynamics and ecological processes that are carried out in cacao plant community. This paper proposed the different areas of improving cacao ecology that need to gain attention in the Philippines to augment the measures being undertaken to boost the country’s cacao plantations. This includes more research on areas of soil physicochemical properties, AMF genetic and functional diversity in cacao communities, and resistance to diseases of AMF-associated cacao trees. The ecology of the AMF-cacao association is an essential part of developing effective AMF inocula for the ultimate purpose of increasing the yield of cacao. Appropriate application of AMF could increase the overall yield of the country’s cacao plantations and can be translated to improving food security and many other economic gains.

Source or Periodical Title

Philippine Journal of Science

ISSN

0031-7683

Volume

149

Issue

(3-a)

Page

903-914

Document Type

Article

Physical Description

diagram; tables; references

Language

English

Subject

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Cacao ecology, Cacao-AMF association

Digital Copy

yes

En – AGROVOC descriptors

ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI; CACAO ECOLOGY; CACAO-amf ASSOCIATION

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