What is VAM

Answer: The full form of VAM is Vesicular – Arbuscular Mycorrhiza, a symbiotic association between phycomycetes fungi and angiosperm roots. One of the first microbiological products, VAM is a fungus that penetrates the roots of a vascular plant so that they can be supported to capture the nutrients from the soil. 

Endo mycorrhiza is a type of fungi that is symbiotically related to the pants. It penetrates within the plant’s cells so that material can be directly exchanged within the cells. There are different types of endo mycorrhizae present in the surroundings and it is the mycorrhizae arbuscular type of mycorrhizae that is the most important one. It is further called VAM (Vesicular – Arbuscular Mycorrhiza).

Here mentioned are the main characteristics of VAM:

• Intracellular structures within the cortex cells.
• Intercellular hyphae in the cortex. 

A vital role is played by the microorganism in sustaining the production of crops by improving the properties of soil and plant nutrition. Among these microorganisms is the Vesicular – Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) which is a beneficial fungus as it majorly contributes to the dynamics of soil nutrients and improves the soil’s physical, chemical, and biological properties. Now that it is difficult for the plants to acquire phosphorus due to its low solubility, low mobility, and fixation in the soil, the mycorrhizal symbiotic association between the fungi and plants makes it easy for them to uptake phosphorus. Vesicular – Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) is capable of altering the mobilization of soil phosphorus of its host plants. 

Along with increasing the availability of phosphorus, Vesicular – Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (VAM) is also known to provide plants with enough strength so that they can resist disease, germs, and harsh weather conditions. VAM is considered to be active near the roots of the plants and thus, should be applied on the roots, either through nursery grow bags or by mixing it in a compost.