Abstracts |
Land disturbance and degradation is recognized as one of the most important environmental problems worldwide caused by many factors like human activities and adverse climatic factors like that occurred in most parts of the arid and semiarid regions (e.g., the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula). In the arid environments, land degradation is mainly caused by wind erosion and salinization with loss of productive surface soil and loss of vegetation as primary indicators. In these regions, soil conservation and rehabilitation of degraded lands are essential for sustainable agriculture and improvement of dry land ecosystem. Revegetation is one of the most effective means to control soil degradation and to rehabilitate degraded lands. However, in arid environments, low rainfall, harsh climatic conditions, and frequent droughts are major limitations for natural rehabilitation. There is a general consensus that biotechnology can be a valuable tool to mitigate water scarcity and to improve quality of degraded lands. Microbial technology, e.g., use of mycorrhizal fungi, has been considered a valuable tool in the rehabilitation of disturbed and degraded lands. Mycorrhizal fungi play a crucial role in enhancing plant growth and survival through enhancing plant nutrient uptake, water relations, ecosystem establishment, plant diversity, and productivity of plants. Mycorrhiza also protects plants against root pathogens and abiotic stresses such as drought and salinity and improves soil structure by enhancing soil aggregation and water-holding capacity. This chapter provides an insight into how mycorrhizal fungi might play a role in reclamation and revegetation of degraded lands in arid regions. |