Soil properties shape rhizosphere fungal communities in ginger cultivation systems
Journal
Applied Soil Ecology
Journal Volume
222
Start Page
107009
ISSN
0929-1393
Date Issued
2026-06
Author(s)
Abstract
Soil fungal communities play critical roles in nutrient cycling, plant health, and agroecosystem sustainability. This study aimed to characterize fungal assemblages in ginger ( Zingiber officinale ) rhizosphere soils across three major ginger-producing counties in Taiwan and to examine associations between environmental gradients, soil properties, and fungal community structure. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling revealed geographic differentiation of fungal communities. Assemblages in Nantou County were distinct from those in Miaoli and Taitung Counties, whereas high-elevat ion sites in Miaoli and Taitung exhibited relatively similar communities, consistent with possible environmental influences. Although Ascomycota dominated all regions, variations in Mortierellomycota, Basidiomycota, and Glomeromycota were observed among sites, particularly in Miaoli and Taitung Counties. Soils in Taitung County contained a high proportion of unclassified taxa, which may reflect database limitations or taxonomic resolution. Dominant fungal genera differed among regions. Humicola was enriched in Nantou County and was associated with higher soil phosphorus and lower pH, coinciding with reduced relative abundance of saprotrophs-symbiotrophs, such as Mortierella and Linnemannia . Functional guild analysis showed that Nantou soils were dominated by pathotroph–saprotrophs, whereas Miaoli soils exhibited higher proportions of symbiotrophs. Soil pH, electrical conductivity, phosphorus, and iron were significantly associated with fungal community structure. AMF were not detected in Nantou samples based on our ITS and metabarcoding data. The county-level suspected disease occurrence index was negatively correlated with symbiotroph abundance, representing an exploratory regional association, and causal relationships cannot be inferred from these data.
Subjects
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)
Functional guilds
Ginger (Zingiber officinale)
Rhizosphere fungal communities
Soil properties
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Type
journal article