RT Journal Article
T1 Metataxonomic analysis reveals that the farming system has minimal effect on soil microbiome variation in cereal fields
A1 Alias Segura, Sergio
A1 Gil Serna, Jessica
A1 Patiño Álvarez, Aurora Belén
AB The soil microbiota, particularly mycotoxin-producing fungal communities, has garnered increasing attention owing to its implications for human and animal health. Mycotoxins commonly contaminate cereal crops and their by-products, with their associated health risks intensified by climate change. The growing demand for organic food, driven by perceptions of enhanced safety, contrasts with the inconclusive research on mycotoxin contamination in organic versus conventional cereals. Here, metagenomic techniques such as amplicon sequencing offer valuable tools for elucidating this issue. In this study, we employed metataxonomics to investigate potential variations in fungal and bacterial community diversity between organic and conventional farming systems in cereal fields, with a focus on toxigenic fungi. Our analysis revealed that geographic location of the samples, rather than farming practice (organic/conventional), was the primary driver of diversity differences. Furthermore, we found no significant evidence of differential abundance across toxigenic fungal groups between the two systems. To validate taxonomic assignments, we constructed a phylogenetic tree using sequences classified under the genus Fusarium. Additionally, we assessed the potential activity of biocontrol agents from certain bacterial genera against toxigenic fungi by analysing their co-occurrence patterns in both conventional and organic soils. Most correlations were weak, although a few significant associations involved Bacillus, Streptomyces, and Pseudarthrobacter. Notably, we detected mycotoxigenic species of concern (e.g., potential producers of aflatoxins or trichothecenes) in cereal fields irrespective of the farming system.
PB Elsevier
SN 0929-1393
YR 2025
FD 2025-08-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123254
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123254
LA eng
NO Alías-Segura, S., Gil-Serna, J., & Patiño, B. (2025). Metataxonomic analysis reveals that the farming system has minimal effect on soil microbiome variation in cereal fields. Applied Soil Ecology, 214, 106355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2025.106355
NO The authors acknowledge the grant PID2022-136803OB-I00 funded by MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER, UE. Sergio Alías-Segura was funded by a predoctoral fellowship by Complutense University of Madrid and Banco Santander (CT25/24).The authors would like to thank Nieves Aparicio and Mª Carmen Diez (ITACyL) for providing the soil samples
NO Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 27 dic 2025