Abstract: | Phosphorus (P) is a critical nutrient that plays an essential role in improving soil fertility for optimum plantgrowth and productivity. It is one of the most deficient macro-nutrients in agricultural soils after nitrogen andis considered inadequate for plant growth and production. To P availability in soils, the farmers are applying hugeamounts of synthetic P fertilizers that adversely affect the wider environment, groundwater, soil fertility andmicrobial population. Many beneficial microbes are known to release and supply soluble P for improving growthand yield of a variety of plants in a sustainable manner in P deficient soils. Thus, inoculation of these microbes,including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and phosphate solubilizing bacteria (PSB) to soil to enhance cropproduction without harming the environment, is an alternative approach to chemical fertilizers. The combinedrole of AMF and PSB in P solubilization is not well understood and the application and mode of action of thesemicrobial groups are often naive due to variation in the environment. Therefore, the current review article woulddevelop a better understanding of the interactive role and mechanisms of AMF and PSB in improving P availability from both organic and inorganic sources in a sustainable crop production system. Finally, the currentreview would loop out further avenues for researchers interested to commercially produce effective AMF andPSB-based biofertilizers for sustainable management of phosphorus over a wide range of agricultural cropsworldwide. |