Soil fungal community in eucalyptus cultivation cycles

Abstract

The short production cycle, high biomass production, and adaptability to various edofoclimatic conditions have led the eucalyptus to a prominent position in the world forestry sector. However, little is known about fungal community structure in these crops. This work aimed to evaluate the structure of soil fungal communities in eucalyptus forests as a function of rhizosphere effect and crop cycles of this crop. We used the independent PCR-DGGE method to evaluate the structure of the soil fungal community in Eucalyptus urograndis plantations located in the Vale do Rio Doce region, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The rhizospheric and non-rhizospheric portions of the soil were sampled in an area of recent forest establishment and in an area under multiple cycles. The principal component analysis revealed that the rhizosphere microenvironment is the dominant component in structuring the fungal communities in the areas studied, and this effect is more pronounced in the area of recent establishment of eucalyptus culture. The same pattern was found for the richness and diversity values, with the greatest differences found in the recently established area. In both studied areas the dominance of the order Agaricales prevailed, evidencing the role of the fungal community in the cycling of nutrients in the soil.