Strategies to enhance the production of secondary metabolites, derived from medicinal and agriculturally important plants have been the subject of exploration to enable effective utilization of these biorepositories. Through symbiosis, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), modify plant primary and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. The relationship thus offers the opportunity to exploit combinations of host and fungus that maximize secondary metabolite production. We investigated different AMF host combinations for the enhancement of root-derived secondary metabolites from three plant species - ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal), licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.), and marigold (Tagetes erecta L.). Each host species was inoculated singly with each of five species of AMF, Glomus hoi, Claroideoglomus etunicatum, Claroideoglomus claroideum, Rhizophagus irregularis, and Acaulospora delicata and secondary metabolite production was assessed. Increased concentrations of the following secondary metabolites were found in roots after AMF establishment: for withaferin-A in ashwagandha (concentrations ranged from 11.5 to 43.5% above than in control non-mycorrhized roots depending on the host and AMF combination); in licorice, glycyrrhizic acid (1.51–3.92% above control) and glabridin (2.85–6.41% above control) and in marigold, alpha-terthienyl (1.51–7.18% above control). Specifically, among the AMF inoculations, the highest levels of secondary metabolite were found in ashwagandha and marigold inoculated with R. irregularis and for licorice following inoculation with C. etunicatum revealing the impact of different AMF species on different plant species. This underpinning knowledge of AMF symbioses with the plant host will augment the development of methods that will provide enhanced concentrations of secondary metabolites of commercial value.

提高药用和农业重要植物的次生代谢产物生产的策略已成为探索主题，以确保有效利用这些生物资源库。通过共生，丛枝菌根真菌（AMF）来修饰植物的一级和二级代谢产物的生物合成。因此，这种关系为利用宿主和真菌的组合提供了机会，该组合可以最大程度地提高次级代谢产物的产生。我们研究了不同的AMF宿主组合，以增强来自三种植物-ashwagandha（Withania somnifera（L.）Dunal），甘草（Glycyrrhiza glabra L.）和万寿菊（Tagetes erecta）的根源次级代谢产物L.）。每个宿主物种与各5种AMF，单独的接种菌根海，Claroideoglomus etunicatum，Claroideoglomus claroideum，Rhizophagus irregularis和Acaulospora delicata并评估次级代谢产物的产生。建立AMF后，在根中发现下列次生代谢产物的浓度增加：ashwagandha中的aferin-A（其浓度比对照无菌根高出11.5％至43.5％，具体取决于宿主和AMF的组合）；在甘草，甘草酸（比对照高1.51-3.92％）和麦角蛋白（比对照高2.85-6.41％）和万寿菊中的α-噻吩基（比对照高1.51-7.18％）。具体来说，在AMF接种中，次生代谢产物的最高含量出现在接种了不规则红景天的ashwagandha和万寿菊中，以及接种了C. etunicatum的甘草中揭示了不同AMF物种对不同植物物种的影响。对植物宿主中AMF共生酶的基础了解将促进方法开发的发展，该方法将提高商业价值的次生代谢物的浓度。