Baseline Data of the Fungal Phytobiome of Three Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Cultivars in South Africa using Targeted Environmental Sequencing

Bibliographic Details
Title: Baseline Data of the Fungal Phytobiome of Three Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) Cultivars in South Africa using Targeted Environmental Sequencing
Authors: Gilmore T. Pambuka, Tonjock Rosemary Kinge, Soumya Ghosh, Errol D. Cason, Martin M. Nyaga, Marieka Gryzenhout
Source: Journal of Fungi, Vol 7, Iss 11, p 978 (2021)
Publisher Information: MDPI AG, 2021.
Publication Year: 2021
Collection: LCC:Biology (General)
Subject Terms: sorghum, cultivars, plant tissues, substrates, above ground, below ground, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
More Details: Plant-associated fungi, or the mycobiome, inhabit plant surfaces above ground, reside in plant tissues as endophytes, or are rhizosphere in the narrow zone of soil surrounding plant roots. Studies have characterized mycobiomes of various plant species, but little is known about the sorghum mycobiome, especially in Africa, despite sorghum being one of the most important indigenous and commercial cereals in Africa. In this study, the mycobiome associated with above- and below-ground tissues of three commercial sorghum cultivars, as well as from rhizosphere and surrounding bulk soil samples, were sequenced using targeted sequencing with the Illumina MiSeq platform. Relative abundance differences between fungal communities were found between above-ground and below-ground niches, with most differences mostly in the dominant MOTUs, such as Davidiellaceae sp. (Cladosporium), Didymellaceae sp. 1 (Phoma), Fusarium, Cryptococcus and Mucor. Above-ground communities also appeared to be more diverse than below-ground communities, and plants harboured the most diversity. A considerable number of MOTUs were shared between the cultivars although, especially for NS5511, their abundances often differed. Several of the detected fungal groups include species that are plant pathogens of sorghum, such as Fusarium, and, at low levels, Alternaria and the Ustilaginomycetes. Findings from this study illustrate the usefulness of targeted sequencing of the ITS rDNA gene region (ITS2) to survey and monitor sorghum fungal communities and those from associated soils. This knowledge may provide tools for disease management and crop production and improvement.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 2309-608X
Relation: https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/7/11/978; https://doaj.org/toc/2309-608X
DOI: 10.3390/jof7110978
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/75062fcd74224e38b02ba1380b003cc1
Accession Number: edsdoj.75062fcd74224e38b02ba1380b003cc1
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:2309608X
DOI:10.3390/jof7110978
Published in:Journal of Fungi
Language:English