Culturable endophytic fungal communities associated with plants in organic and conventional farming systems and their effects on plant growth

As compared to organic farming system, conventional farming system relies on higher inputs of synthetic agrochemicals, which may reduce the abundance, diversity, and beneficial effects of plant endophytic fungal communities. This study compares the diversity and abundance of culturable endophytic fu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2019-02, Vol.9 (1), p.1669-1669, Article 1669
Main Authors: Xia, Ye, Sahib, Mohammad Radhi, Amna, Amna, Opiyo, Stephen Obol, Zhao, Zhenzhen, Gao, Yu Gary
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Abundance
Agricultural production
Agrochemicals
Crop yield
Endophytes
Farming
Farming systems
Fungi
Humanities and Social Sciences
multidisciplinary
Organic farming
Plant communities
Plant growth
Plant species
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Species diversity
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable production
Tomatoes
Water control
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Summary:As compared to organic farming system, conventional farming system relies on higher inputs of synthetic agrochemicals, which may reduce the abundance, diversity, and beneficial effects of plant endophytic fungal communities. This study compares the diversity and abundance of culturable endophytic fungal communities associated with four plant species –corn, tomato, pepper, and watermelon grown in separate organic and conventional fields. In all, 740 fungal isolates were identified, of which 550 were from the organic fields and 190 from the conventional ones. These fungal isolates were grouped into eight orders and 22 species, with the two most abundant species being Trichoderma sp . and Pichia guilliermondi . The fungal species diversity and abundance were both significantly higher in the organic than in the conventional fields. All the isolated endophytic fungi improved tomato plants’ shoot growth and biomass significantly, as compared with the water control. Six fungal isolates also exhibited activity that enhanced tomato fruit yields. These results suggest that these endophytic fungi might be a considerable boost to sustainable agricultural production, while also reducing the agricultural application of chemicals and thus benefiting the environment and human health.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-38230-x