Diversity of Fungi in Rhizoplane, Rhizosphere and Edaphosphere of Sunflower at Different Stages of its Development

Abstract The genus and species composition of the micromycete complex in the root zone (rhizoplane, rhizosphere and edaphosphere) of sunflower at the beginning of flowering and full maturity stages during its cultivation on leached chernozem was studied. It was established that representatives of the genera Aspergillus, Botrytis, Gliocladium, Fusarium, Paecilomyces, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Trichoderma formed the complex of typical fungi of the rhizoplane and rhizosphere. At the stage of flowering in the mycocenosis, the species Paecilomyces lilacinus, Paecilomyces variotii and Trichoderma viride dominated, and in the maturity stage Rhizopus nigricans, Penicillium nigricans, Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans prevailed. The phytopathogenic complex at the flowering stage formed the species of the genera Fusarium and Rhizopus, and by the end of the vegetation the variety of potential pathogens was expanded by representatives of the genera Alternaria, Botrytis and Gliocladium. A comparative analysis of the micromycete complex revealed a similarity of the dominant species of the rhizoplane and rhizosphere in different stages of sunflower development. However, by the end of the vegetation in the rhizosphere, compared to rhizoplane, the abundance of fungi of the species Fusarium moniliforme var. subglutinans and Penicillium nigricans increased significantly. As for edaphosphere, Rhizopus nigricans, Trichoderma viride and Penicillium nigricans dominated during sunflower flowering, and by the end of the crop vegetation the number of micromycetes of the genus Fusarium was reduced while the proportion of micromycetes of the genus Rhizopus increased significantly.