THE POTENTIAL OF MYCORRHIZAE AS BIOLOGICAL AGENTS FOR IMPROVING PADDY SOIL FERTILITY AND FERTILIZER USE EFFICIENCY POTENSI MIKORIZA SEBAGAI AGEN BIOLOGIS UNTUK PERBAIKAN KESUBURAN TANAH SAWAH DAN EFISIENSI PEMUPUKAN Section Articles

Abstract

The fertility of paddy soils continues to decline due to agricultural intensification, excessive
chemical fertilizer use, and unsustainable tillage practices. Flooded soil conditions also decrease
fertilizer efficiency, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, through volatilization, denitrification, and
phosphorus fixation. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) offer a biological solution by enhancing
nutrient uptake, soil structure, plant resilience, and fertilizer efficiency through mechanisms such as
arbuscule formation, hyphal expansion, ion transporter activation, glomalin production, and synergy
with plant growth-promoting bacteria. This article reviews the role of AMF as a biological agent to
improve paddy soil fertility and fertilizer efficiency based on literature analysis. The results indicate
that AMF effectively improve soil quality, enhance P and N uptake, strengthen plant stress
resistance, and contribute to heavy-metal remediation. Therefore, AMF hold strong potential as a
key component in sustainable rice-field agriculture.
Keywords: mycorrhiza, paddy soil, fertilizer efficiency, glomalin, arbuscular fungi