Eden Etedgi, Daniel Demenchuk, Elhanan Dimant, Peleg Hadari, Ofir Degani
Charcoal rot (CRD), caused by Macrophomina phaseolina, is a major soil-borne disease of cotton, and conventional chemical control often provides inconsistent suppression. This study aimed to characterize management-associated patterns among culture-recovered cotton root-associated fungi and to identify fungal interactions relevant to M. phaseolina suppression. Roots were collected from asymptomatic and symptomatic cotton plants at mid-season and end-season in a field subjected to chemical, Trichoderma -based, and integrated CRD management. Root-associated isolates were recovered by culture-dependent methods and identified using molecular markers and phylogenetic analyses. Selected fungal taxa were evaluated in vitro and in a 33-day greenhouse seedling assay, while commercial 6-pentyl-α-pyrone (6-PP) was examined in a targeted antifungal assay. From approximately 300 recovered isolates, 66 representative morphotypes were selected and molecularly identified, including 56 fungal and 10 bacterial isolates. Aspergillus was the most frequently recovered fungal genus at mid-season, whereas Alternaria became predominant at season’s end, particularly in symptomatic plants. The numbers of recovered fungal isolates and taxa increased modestly in asymptomatic plants but more strongly in symptomatic plants, while Trichoderma -based management was associated with markedly lower numbers of recovered fungal isolates and taxa. Commercial 6-PP inhibited M. phaseolina in a concentration- and time-dependent manner (94.5–100% at nominal 400–800 µg mL - ¹ through 72 h). Greenhouse assays showed limited effects on early seedling development during the latent disease stage. Nevertheless, qPCR revealed mean reductions of 92%, 94%, and 99% in M. phaseolina DNA following co-inoculation with A. niger, N. solani, and A. alternata, respectively, compared with 47% for R. arrhizus. Only the reduction associated with A. alternata remained significant after multiplicity adjustment. These findings associate biological and integrated management with distinct patterns in culture-recovered root-associated fungi and identify microbial interactions and natural product activity relevant to future CRD management.
In India, Argemone mexicana is known for its pharmaceutical value. The plant hosts many endophytes. Plant-associated microbes also help plants with development and protection. A metagenomic study of rhizospheric soil, roots, and shoots was conducted to investigate variation in the organization and diversity of fungal communities from two different locations (Amlighat and Dergaon, Assam, India) for the first time. Illumina sequencing was used for the fungal metagenomic analysis. The DNA library was constructed using primers specific for the fungal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region. Next-generation sequencing identified a total of 5 phyla, 32 classes, 39 orders, 68 families, 125 genera, and 273 fungal species (including unknown and unidentified taxa) in triplicate samples. The fungal taxa were mostly similar in both locations but occurred at varying relative abundances. The fungal community richness was higher in the root samples from Dergaon than in the other samples. Ascomycota (37.47%–75.84%) was the dominant phylum across all samples, followed by Basidiomycota (3.53%–6.95%). Beta diversity analyses, including principal component analysis, cluster analysis, unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA), and network analysis, also showed a close relationship between the fungi of both locations. We observed mostly similar fungal diversity, with some differences, among the roots and shoots of A. mexicana and its rhizospheric soil. Trichoderma species were detected in all samples at varying relative abundances. These findings suggest that this fungus may modulate acaricide production in A. mexicana.
Christian Joseph N. Ong, Jamil Allen G. Fortaleza, Kevin Smith P. Cabuhat, Glocielle F. Molabola, Johnalie N. Cabalbag, Jose Jurel M. Nuevo, Jowi Tsidkenu Pili Cruz, Esperanza C. Cabrera
Grifola frondosa (maitake) is an edible and medicinal mushroom known for its diverse bioactive compounds, particularly polysaccharides, including biologically active β-glucans, which have been associated with immunomodulatory, antioxidant, antitumor, antimicrobial, and metabolic effects. However, a comprehensive assessment of the intellectual structure and global development of this research area has not yet been conducted. We conducted a scientometric analysis of 605 English-language journal articles indexed in Scopus from 1980 to 2025. Bibliometric data were analyzed using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny and VOSviewer to assess publication and citation trends, leading authors, institutions, countries, collaboration networks, keyword co-occurrence, thematic evolution, conceptual structure, and emerging research frontiers. Publication output rose significantly after 2024, peaking in 2025, reflecting sustained global interest in G. frondosa bioactivity. Logistic growth modeling shows the field is nearing maturity. China and Japan showed the highest publication output and substantial representation in institutional and international collaboration networks, indicating a pronounced concentration of the analyzed literature in East Asia. Keyword and thematic analyses highlight β-glucans, polysaccharides, immunomodulation, antioxidant activity, and antitumor mechanisms as core research themes. Recent studies increasingly address structural characterization, gut microbiota modulation, fermentation technologies, oxidative stress, hypoglycemic activity, and functional food applications, indicating a shift toward mechanistic and translational research. Research on G. frondosa bioactivity has evolved into a multidisciplinary field characterized by expanding international collaboration and heightened focus on translational research. The identified trends, knowledge structure, and emerging themes offer a framework for future mechanistic, preclinical, and clinical studies exploring the therapeutic, nutraceutical, and functional food applications of G. frondosa.
Rocio Montes-Ruiz, Mario Masiello, Lucia Gambacorta, Annalisa De Girolamo, Natalia Martinez-Reyes, Sara Mayo-Prieto, Antonio Moretti, Pedro A. Casquero, Santiago Gutiérrez
Fusarium species, which are widely distributed across agricultural ecosystems worldwide, are among the most economically harmful phytopathogens. They can colonize a broad range of agri-food crops, causing plant diseases and the accumulation of mycotoxins in edible plant tissues. Fusarium species produce a variety of secondary metabolites, posing toxicological risks to human and animal health. A total of 119 Fusarium strains isolated from agricultural soils in northwestern Iberian Peninsula were molecularly identified at the species level, and their capability to produce 17 mycotoxins was evaluated in vitro using liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). A high Fusarium biodiversity was observed, as 15 Fusarium species in eight species complexes were detected, some of them not extensively described in Spanish soils, including Fusarium algeriense, Fusarium brachygibbosum, Fusarium clavum, and Fusarium flagelliforme. Each Fusarium strain showed a specific mycotoxin profile with varying concentrations. Beauvericin and enniatins were the most prevalent at very high levels, and for a number of species, production has not been previously reported. Trichothecenes and fumonisins were less frequently detected than expected from previous reports. The multi-mycotoxin profiles were shaped by species identity, the only significant factor, rather than by soil environmental characteristics. These findings highlight soil as a reservoir of phytopathogenic and mycotoxigenic Fusarium spp., contribute to characterizing their toxigenic profiles, and emphasize the need to investigate emerging mycotoxins.
During mycological surveys in Yunnan Province, China, specimens of a fungus producing massive, upright stromata up to 50 cm high and individually 2.2 kg in weight were sampled. Through an integrative taxonomic approach combining detailed morphology, multilocus phylogeny [internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU), RNA polymerase II subunit 2 (RPB2), and beta-tubulin (TUB2) ], and phylogenomic analyses, this fungus is proposed as the new species Dianjunus rex gen. et sp. nov., the type of the new family Dianjunaceae (Xylariales). Phylogenetic analyses robustly place Dianjunaceae as a distinct sister clade to Graphostromataceae. Divergence time estimation dates the origin of this family to the early Paleocene (~65 million years ago), coinciding with the period following the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) extinction, when an estimated 75% of all plant and animal species went extinct, and a significant ecological reorganization of life on Earth happened. The stromata of D. rex represent the largest fructifications documented within the Ascomycota, significantly expanding the known morphological range of the Xylariales. The study provides a comprehensive description, including a nodulisporium-like anamorph with periconiella-like branching patterns, and discusses the taxon’s phylogenetic placement and distinctive morphology. This discovery highlights the unexplored fungal diversity in East Asian forests.
