IJSRST1736136 | Received : 01 Sep 2017 | Accepted : 13 Sep 2017 | September-October-2017 [(3) 7: 82-86] © 2017 IJSRST | Volume 3 | Issue 7 | Print ISSN: 2395-6011 | Online ISSN: 2395-602X Themed Section: Science and Technology 82 Effect of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Chemical Properties of Experimental Barren Soil with Pearl Millet (Pennisetum Glaucum L.) Crop Ajay Pal 1 and Sonali Pandey 2* 1 Research scholar, Department of Botany, JECRC University, Jaipur, India 2 Associate Professor, Department of Botany, JECRC University, Jaipur, India ABSTRACT The agricultural sustainability could be viewed as maximum plant production with minimum soil loss. The establishment of plant cover is the most important step in restoration of degraded areas. Plant and soil health are dependent upon the interactions of biological, physical, and chemical components of the soil. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form endomycorrhizal associations with the root of 70-90% of all known vascular plant species. The symbiotic relationship between roots and Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) fungi may also benefit the formation of soil structure and plant growth. This study was conducted to determine the effects of three different indigenous AM fungi i.e. Glomus mosseae, Glomus fasciculatum and Gigaspora decipiens either single and in combination inoculation with pearl millet, effect on soil quality grown in the pot experiment under barren soil conditions. Pot trial results showed that AM fungi treated plants barren soil improved their chemical properties as compared to control (non-mycorrhizal) treatments. Keywords: Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Barren Soil, Degraded soil, Soil chemical Properties, Restoration. I. INTRODUCTION Agricultural land degradation is an increasing worldwide problem that leads to poor soil health. Natural regeneration and revegetation are very slow in a highly disturbed barren soil. Present world demands the production of high quality food in a most sustainable way causing least damage possible to the ecosystem [1]. In soil, the natural microbial populations are activated to grow around developing plant roots, giving rise to the so-called „rhizosphere‟. Microorganisms are most abundant members of the soil biota. The soil organisms that develop beneficial symbiotic relationships with plants roots and contribute to plant growth are called mycorrhizal fungi. The most common and top known of these relations are the Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) fungi [2]. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi comprise intra- and extraradical structures. In Glomeromycota, intraradical hyphae can penetrate the outer cell wall of root and grow between or inside of the root cell wall and plasma membrane where they develop the intraradical structures, arbuscules and vesicles. The extra radical structures are hyphae and spores that develop outside of the roots in the soil [3]. The hyphae grow within the plant root and extend out into the surrounding soil acting as an extension of the root system. This relationship greatly increases the absorptive surface area of the root system and with the help of the fungus; the plant is able to obtain mineral nutrients from the soil [4]. In return the plant provides carbohydrates and other nutrients to the fungus. The benefits of glomalin is, in increasing aggregate stability which leads to better soil structure and in turn leads to increase water holding capacity of soil and thus overall improve soil quality and better plant production [5, 6]. Therefore, the reason of the present study was to investigate the effect of AM fungal species Glomus mosseae, Glomus fasciculatum and Gigaspora decipiens on plant growth and in changes in soil chemical properties after pot experiment with pearl millet crop subjected to barren soil conditions.