Variation of Durum Wheat Rhizosphere Fungal Pathobiome From Conventional to Sustainable Agronomic Strategies Across Growth Stages
Author(s)
Jasarevic, Merima
Catalani, Alessia
Date Issued
January 2026
Type
article
Volume
75
Issue
1
ISSN
0032-0862
1365-3059
Journal
Abstract
In sustainable agriculture, conservation soil tillage methods and organic fertilisation improve soil conditions, impacting the soil microbial population. The present work aimed to evaluate the effects of the combination of these practices on rhizosphere pathobiome distribution and biodiversity of durum wheat rotated with potato during a 2-year field trial in central Italy. Two conservation tillage techniques (subsoiling and spading) versus ploughing, and organic compost-based versus mineral fertilisation, were compared across three durum wheat growth stages. Alpha and beta diversity tests indicated that the compost treatment increased rhizosphere microbial diversity and altered community composition during tillering and ripening across both years. Pathogenic and mycotoxigenic fungi were prevalent in the wheat rhizosphere. Alternaria alternata and A. infectoria, potential causal agents of ‘black points’ of wheat grains, were more abundant in plots with mineral fertilisation at the heading stage across the 2 years. Fusarium equiseti and F. brachygibbosum, causal agents of Fusarium head blight, were more abundant in 2022 under spading and mineral fertilisation at tillering, and Fusarium verticillioides under ploughing and mineral fertilisation at heading. In contrast, organic fertilisation promoted the presence of beneficial and potentially antagonistic fungi. Species including Vishniacozyma victoriae, Trichoderma amazonicum, Botryotrichum atrogriseum and Humicola sardiniae were observed in greater relative abundance following compost fertilisation, though their abundance varied by year and growth stage. These findings show that sustainable soil management practices influence the rhizosphere pathobiome, potentially contributing to microbial colonisation of the phyllosphere and carposphere of wheat and rotated crops, highlighting the interconnectedness of soil and plant health.
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