Abstract: Ambient water quality criteria are the important basis for establishing water quality standards, and the significant part of scientific water quality management system. Aiming at the grim situation of  water pollution and the obvious differences in regional environment in China,  it’s urgent to establish water quality criteria fitting the characters of China water environment to supply theoretic bases for controlling and managing  water quality. This paper reviewed the research advances on the water quality criteria at home and abroad, with the focus on (1) the concept and connotation of ambient water quality criteria, (2) research history, status, development trend, and scientific issues of water quality criteria in American, European, and other countries, and (3) research emphasis and development trend in China, including regional water environment investigation, epidemiology, biotoxicology, and theories and methodologies in establishing ambient water quality criteria.

Key words: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, Tagetes erecta, Growth indexes, Diesel degradation