Arbuscular mycorrhizal networks—a climate-smart blueprint for agriculture

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal symbiosis offers a transformative solution in mitigating agroecosystem challenges linked with synthetic chemical overuse. However, the potential of AM–plant communications in response to anthropogenic activities and hyphal network functionality remains poorly understood. Here, we reposition AM fungal hyphosphere networks as keystone ecological infrastructure for sustainable agroecosystems. Synthesizing thousands of worldwide experimental studies reveals the main environmental functions of AM fungi-plant communication: enhancing agroecosystem resilience by buffering crops against various (a)biotic stressors through molecular signaling and physiological changes; mediating energy transferring via small RNA-mediated cross-kingdom interactions; facilitating hydraulic redistribution in the soil profile via hyphospheric network; and optimizing root architecture via effective colonization for nutrient acquisition. Some anthropogenic practices—soil disturbance, non-mycorrhizal crop monoculture, and fungicide use—disrupt AM hyphal networks; however, those can be minimized through improved farming practices, such as cropping diversification with legumes and AM fungi-compatible crops, AM-responsive plant genotypes, effective AM fungal inoculation, and microbial consortia amendments. Bridging AM fungal mechanisms with anthropogenic practices and policy supports is essential to scale AM benefits to various ecoregions. Exploring AM fungal functionality can increase nutrient use efficiency, reduce chemical inputs, and enhance ecosystem productivity, offering a microbial-centric blueprint in helping the UN’s sustainability goals.