Compost amendment alters soil fungal community structure of a replanted apple orchard

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of compost amendment on fungal structure of the replanted apple orchard in comparison with the original orchard without compost improvement. The V4 region of the fungal 18S rRNA gene was sequenced using high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing, and the data were analyzed using the Mothur pipeline. The results showed that the compost amendment modified the fungal community structure at all soil depths (0-20 cm and 20-40 cm) and sites (in-row and inter-row) considered, such as the relative abundances of Vampyrellidae (16.2%), Trichocomaceae (14.2%), and Rhizaspididae (2.5%) were increased while that of Glissomonadida (15.4%), Eugregarinorida (4.0%), and Thecofilosea (3.4%) were decreased. Overall, our findings show that compost amendment altered the fungal community compositions in replanted orchard soil.

Soil Communities: Who Responds and How Quickly to a Change in Agricultural System?

“…In this study, the Organic plot was managed by mechanical mowing and the application of organic amendments to the Row. The use of organic amendments enhances the microbial diversity in the soil and, particularly, affects the soil fungal communities [12]. In our research, unlike what was observed in Integrated management, the fungal community of the Organic-Row plot appeared to move close to the fungal community of the Inter-row positions in T2 (Figure 3), suggesting an initial approach to a less impacted agroecosystem.…”

“…In all investigated soils, 267 fungi genera were found, where the more representative genera were Mortierella (6.3%), Tetracladium (2.8%), Guehomyces (2.1%), Coprinellus (1.7%), Cylindrocarpon (1.6%), Nectria (1.6%), Ilyonectria (1.5%), Myrothecium (1.2%) and Cladorrhinum (1.1%) (Figure 1a), which are the most characteristic groups found in exploited agricultural soils. Indeed, Mortierella, Tetracladium, Cylindrocarpon and Nectria are among the main agents that cause replanting diseases, root rot and cancer in apple orchards [12]. At time T0, the Bray-Curtis distance between Org and Int for fungal communities was higher than the management distance for bacterial communities (Inter-row: fungi = 0.41, bacteria = 0.31; Row: fungi = 0.46, bacteria = 0.31) (Figure 2).…”

“…Edaphic microorganisms are considered good indicators of soil quality because they are very dynamic and respond quickly to changes in soil management, even before most physico-chemical properties, which take longer to change [8]. Within the soil microbiota, fungi and bacteria are among the most dominant components and are affected by seasonality [9], geographical position [10], soil chemical parameters and agronomic managements [11,12]. They are able to overcome environmental modifications by adjusting their metabolic activity, biomass and community structure [13].…”

Composted Municipal Green Waste Infused with Biocontrol Agents to Control Plant Parasitic Nematodes—A Review

“…On the other hand, when only the fungal community was investigated, some fungal taxa were supported, while others were weakened by the addition of compost, as expressed in terms of their relative abundance. The effect of compost was noticeable in different depths and within-field locations of soil as well [205]. Vermicomposted household waste modified the ratios of fungi and bacteria (e.g., fungi/bacteria from 0.18818 to 0.00425).…”