Different Fertilizers Applied Alter Fungal Community Structure in Rhizospheric Soil of Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and Increase Crop Yield

Soil microbes play an important role in the ecosystem and have a relationship with plant growth, development, and production. There are only a few reports on the effects of planting patterns of cassava on the microbial community structure in the rhizospheric soil. Here, we investigated the effects of different fertilization on the microbial community structure in the cassava rhizospheric soil. SC205 cultivar was used in this study as the experimental material. Compound fertilizer (CF) and reduced fertilizer (RF) were applied to the soil prior to planting. Soil samples were collected before harvest, and fungi were analyzed using IonS5TMXL sequencing platform. Results showed that CF and RF treatments significantly increased cassava yield. Amplicon sequencing result indicated that the fungi richness in rhizospheric soil of cassava was increased after CF was applied, and the diversity was decreased. However, the fungal diversity and richness were decreased in rhizospheric soil after RF was applied. The most dominant fungal phylum was Ascomycota, which increased after fertilization. In addition, the abundance of beneficial fungi such as Chaetomium increased after fertilization, while that of pathogenic fungi such as Fusarium solani was decreased. The composition of the fungal community in rhizospheric soil with CF and RF applied was similar, but the richness and diversity of fungi were different. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicates there was a positive correlation between soil nutrition and fungal community structure. Overall, our results indicate that fertilization alters the fungal community structure of cassava rhizospheric soil, such that the abundance of potentially beneficial fungi increased, while that of potentially pathogenic fungi decreased, thereby significantly promoting plant growth and yield of cassava. Thus, during actual production, attention should be paid to maintain the stability of cassava rhizospheric soil micro-ecology.

A Snapshot Picture of the Fungal Composition of Bee Bread in Four Locations in Bulgaria, Differing in Anthropogenic Influence

Information about the fungal composition of bee bread, and the fermentation processes to which the fungi contribute significantly, is rather scarce or fragmentary. In this study, we performed an NGS-based metagenomics snapshot picture study of the fungal composition of bee bread in four locations in Bulgaria during the most active honeybee foraging period at the end of June 2020. The sampling locations were chosen to differ significantly in climatic conditions, landscape, and anthropogenic pressure, and the Illumina 2 × 250 paired-end reads platform was used for amplicon metagenomics study of the ITS2 region. We found that some of the already reported canonical beneficial core fungal species were present within the studied samples. However, some fungal genera such as Monilinia, Sclerotinia, Golovinomyces, Toxicocladosporium, Pseudopithomyces, Podosphaera and Septoriella were reported for the first time among the dominant genera for a honeybee related product. Anthropogenic pressure negatively influences the fungal composition of the bee bread in two different ways—urban/industrial pressure affects the presence of pathogenic species, while agricultural pressure is reflected in a decrease of the ratio of the beneficial fungi.

Mycopharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals: Promising Agents to Improve Human Well-Being and Life Quality

Fungi, especially edible mushrooms, are considered as high-quality food with nutritive and functional values. They are of considerable interest and have been used in the synthesis of nutraceutical supplements due to their medicinal properties and economic significance. Specific fungal groups, including predominantly filamentous endophytic fungi from Ascomycete phylum and several Basidiomycetes, produce secondary metabolites (SMs) with bioactive properties that are involved in the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. These beneficial fungi, while high in protein and important fat contents, are also a great source of several minerals and vitamins, in particular B vitamins that play important roles in carbohydrate and fat metabolism and the maintenance of the nervous system. This review article will summarize and discuss the abilities of fungi to produce antioxidant, anticancer, antiobesity, and antidiabetic molecules while also reviewing the evidence from the last decade on the importance of research in fungi related products with direct and indirect impact on human health.

Effects of Continuous Cropping of Lilium Lancifolium on Rhizosphere Soil Physical and Chemical Properties and Fungal Community Structure

Lilium lancifolium is an important economic crop in Huoshan county of Anhui province, China. Continuous cropping obstacles serious affect the yield and quality of L. lancifolium. At present, the effect of the continuous cropping of L. lancifolium on soil fungal community structure is not clear. In this study, Illumina MiSeq was used to study the fungi of the rhizosphere soil associated with L. lancifolium subjected to three treatments: no continuous cropping, continuous cropping for 3 years, and continuous cropping for 5 years. The results showed that continuous cropping of L. lancifolium could increase the fungal richness and diversity in the rhizosphere to different degrees. Ascomycota was the dominant phylum, and its abundance increased after continuous cropping. In addition, the abundance of beneficial fungi, such as Chaetomium, decreased, and the abundance of harmful fungi, such as Fusarium and Colletotrichum, greatly increased with the duration of continuous cropping. Overall, continuous cropping changed the composition of soil fungal communities, reduced the abundance of beneficial fungi, and increased the abundance of harmful fungi. Thus, continuous cropping increased the potential for soil-borne diseases and endangered the bulb growth of L. lancifolium.

Increased Organic Fertilizer and Reduced Chemical Fertilizer Increased Fungal Diversity and the Abundance of Beneficial Fungi on the Grape Berry Surface in Arid Areas

Fertilizer practices can significantly impact the fruit quality and microbial diversity of the orchards. The fungi on the surface of fruits are essential for fruit storability and safety. However, it is not clear whether fertilization affects the fungal diversity and community structure on the surface of grape berries. Here, grape quality and the fungal diversity on the surface of grapes harvested from three fertilizer treatments were analyzed shortly after grape picking (T0) and following 8 days of storage (T1). The study involved three treatments: (1) common chemical fertilizer for 2 years (CH); (2) increased organic fertilizer and reduced chemical fertilizer for 1 year (A.O); and (3) increased organic fertilizer and reduced chemical fertilizer for 2 years (B.O). The application of increased organic fertilizer and reduced chemical fertilizer increased the soluble solids content (SSC) of the grape berries and decreased the pH of the grape juice. A total of 827,947 high-quality fungal sequences were recovered and assigned to 527 operational taxonomic units. Members of the Ascomycota phylum were dominant in all samples and accounted for 94.41% of the total number of detected sequences, followed by the Basidiomycota (5.05%), and unidentified fungi (0.54%). Alpha and beta diversity analyses revealed significantly different fungal populations in the three fertilizer treatments over the two time periods. The fungal diversity and richness on the grape berry surface in the B.O and A.O treatments were higher than those in the CH treatment. Among the detected fungi, the B.O treatments were mainly Pichia, Aureobasidium, and Candida genera, while the CH treatments were Botrytis, Aspergillus, and Penicillium. Moreover, significant differences were revealed between the two assessment times (T0 and T1). The samples from the T0 timepoint had higher fungal richness and diversity than the samples from T1 timepoint. Increasing organic fertilizer usage in grape management could improve grape quality and went on to increase the fungal diversity, as well as the relative abundance (RA) of beneficial fungi on grape berry surfaces. The correlation analysis suggested that the pH of the grape juice was significantly negatively correlated with fungal diversity parameters.

Relationship between Soil Fungi and Seedling Density in the Vicinity of Adult Conspecifics in an Arid Desert Forest

Research Highlights: 1. Soil fungi have a higher influence on seedling density compared to soil environmental factors; 2. Host-specific pathogens and beneficial fungi affect seeding density via different influencing mechanisms. Background and Objectives: The growth and development of seedlings are the key processes that affect forest regeneration and maintain community dynamics. However, the influencing factors of seedling growth around their adult conspecifics are not clear in arid desert forests. Probing the intrinsic relations among soil fungi, soil environmental factors (pH, water content, salinity, and nutrition), and seedling density will improve our understanding of forest development and provide a theoretical basis for forest management and protection. Materials and Methods: Four experimental plot types, depending on the distance to adult conspecifics, were set in an arid desert forest. Soil environmental factors, the diversity and composition of the soil fungal community, and the seedlings’ density and height were measured in the four experimental plot types, and their mutual relations were analyzed. Results: Seedling density as well as the diversity and composition of the soil fungal community varied significantly among the four plot types (p < 0.05). Soil environmental factors, especially soil salinity, pH, and soil water content, had significant influences on the seedling density and diversity and composition of the soil fungal community. The contribution of soil fungi (72.61%) to the variation in seedling density was much higher than the soil environmental factors (27.39%). The contribution of detrimental fungi to the variation in seedling density was higher than the beneficial fungi. Conclusions: Soil fungi mostly affected the distribution of seedling density in the vicinity of adult conspecifics in an arid desert forest. The distribution of seedling density in the vicinity of adults was mainly influenced by the detrimental fungi, while the adults in the periphery area was mainly influenced by the beneficial fungi.