Efecto de los hongos micorrícicos arbusculares en el carbono orgánico del suelo en sistemas agrícolas: una aproximación meta-analítica

Abstract

Increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in agroecosystems is a major goal to maintain agricultural sustainability and mitigate climate change. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can increase crop growth and yield, but studies in agricultural soils have shown that their effects on SOC stocks can be either positive (through soil aggregation and inputs) or negative (through increased mineralization or “priming”). We conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate the role of AMF on SOC stocks across several crop species and conditions. We used a dataset comprising 62 trials from 19 studies including field or pot experiments that directly manipulated the mycorrhizal status of plants. We found a strong effect of AMF on SOC stocks, with an average increase of 21.5%. The positive effect of AMF on SOC stocks was consistently observed across a wide range of conditions, including different soil types, crop species, or AMF inoculation sources (single o mixed AMF species). Our results suggest a higher contribution of AMF mediated mechanisms leading to SOC accretion rather than carbon losses. Future studies should evaluate the effects of AMF on SOC fractions to clarify the mechanisms behind its overall contribution to SOC accrual.