Soil fungal community structure and seasonal diversity following application of organic amendments of different quality under maize cropping in Zimbabwe

Recent advocacy for Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in smallholder farming systems in east and southern Africa show substantial evidence of increased and sustained crop yields associated with enhanced soil productivity. However, the impact ISFM on soil fungi has received limited attentio...

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Published in:	PloS one Vol. 16; no. 10; p. e0258227
Main Authors:	Tauro, Tonny P, Mtambanengwe, Florence, Mpepereki, Shensi, Mapfumo, Paul
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	San Francisco Public Library of Science 14-10-2021 Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Subjects:	Agrochemicals Analysis Ascomycota Basidiomycota Biology and Life Sciences Cattle manure Cereal crops Community structure Corn Crop growth Crop yield Crop yields Crops Deoxyribonucleic acid DNA DNA sequencing Earth Sciences Ecology and Environmental Sciences Farming systems Fatty acids Fertilizers Fungal infections Fungi Immobilization Management Manures Mineral fertilizers Nitrogen Nutrients Phosphorus Productivity Research and Analysis Methods Seasons Small farms Soil fertility Soil management Soil microbiology Soil microorganisms Soil productivity Soil sciences Soil structure Soil testing Soils Stover Substrates Zimbabwe Harare Zimbabwe Africa
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Summary:	Recent advocacy for Integrated Soil Fertility Management (ISFM) in smallholder farming systems in east and southern Africa show substantial evidence of increased and sustained crop yields associated with enhanced soil productivity. However, the impact ISFM on soil fungi has received limited attention, yet fungi play key roles in crop growth. Following total soil DNA extraction with ZR soil microbe miniprep kit, illumina sequencing was used to, examine the fungal communities (ITS1F) under a maize crop following co-application of organic nutrient resources including Crotalaria juncea, cattle manure and maize stover with inorganic fertilizers at three-time periods (T1-December, T2-January, and T3-February) in Zimbabwe. Ninety-five fungal species were identified that were assigned to Ascomycota (>90%), Basidiomycota (7%) and Zygomycota (1%). At T1, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were identified across treatments, with Ascomycota attaining > 93% frequency. Fungal succession was noted and involved reduction of Ascomycota coupled by increase in Basidiomycota under the different treatments. For example at T3, Basidiomycota increased to 34% while Ascomycota declined to 66% under manure but remained unchanged in other two organics. Pre-season mineral nitrogen (N) associated with the 'Birch effect' apparently influenced the fungal community structure at T1 while readily available fertilizer N was critical at T2 and T3. The low-quality maize stover promoted the presence of Exophiala sp SST 2011 and this was linked to N immobilization. The impact of N addition was more pronounced under medium (manure) to low-quality (maize stover) resources. Fungi required phosphorus (P) and N for survival while their proliferation was dependent on substrate availability linked to resource quality. Interactive-forward test indicated that soil available P and N were most influential (P < 0.05) factors shaping fungal communities. Co-application of medium to high quality organic and inorganic resources show promise as a sustainable entry point towards enhancing belowground fungal diversity critical in driving nutrient supply.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
ISSN:	1932-6203 1932-6203
DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0258227