Analysis of Fungal Communities in Agricultural Soils Under Varying Methods of Cultivation

Marshall Robinson*, Jeth Walkup and Ember Morrissey, Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design, Division of Plant and Soil Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Field (Broad Category): Environmental Science & Sustainability (Agricultural & Environmental Sciences) 

Student’s Major: Applied and Environmental Microbiology 

The fungal communities within soil are incredibly important to agriculture. Some are necessary for certain plants to grow, such as mycorrhizae, which aid in nutrient uptake by crops. The impact made on the fungal communities in soil relates to crop health and production, making this of significant importance to agriculture. Through analysis of fungal communities, we can gain useful insight into better cultivation and land management. Our aim is to better understand the impact of cultivation and land management on fungal biodiversity. To do this we have extracted DNA from soil samples from three farms, each with two different combinations of crop rotation, tillage, nitrogen source, and organic or conventional management. Currently we are working to amplify the internal transcribed spacer 2 region of the fungal rRNA gene. The PCR product will be sequenced to give us data on the fungal community composition and biodiversity. We will then compare the differences in community to the differences in crop rotation, tillage, and fertilization to see the impact of various cultivation methods on fungal biodiversity. 

Funding: 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: Other