Mycobiota present in soils under two tillage systems in Buenos Aires province, Argentina

Abstract

The present study aimed to describe and compare the fungal soil community under two systems of tillage: direct sowing and conventional tillage. This work was performed in the context of a twelve-year long-term trial, where crops and pasture rotation as well as tillage systems were tested. It was conducted in the experimental field of the National Atomic Energy Commission, located in the province of Buenos Aires. Soil samples from each plot were collected separately. The Simpson Index (1-D) for each plot was also calculated separately. For plate fungus isolation, the plate dilution technique was used. The results were expressed in CFU g-1 of soil. The fungal genera identified under both tillage systems were characterized by their degree of similarity through hierarchical cluster analysis. The total number of CFU g-1 of soil was higher in conventional tillage compared to direct sowing. The diversity index values were very similar for both tillage systems, with a slight difference in favor of direct sowing. The relatively high alfa diversity for both systems would indicate that the stability of the fungal community that presupposes the value obtained was not altered by conventional tillage.