Work

Crop performance traits predict the phyllosphere mycobiome

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Phyllosphere fungal community assembly in agroecosystems includes biotic filtering by crop hosts. However, it is uncertain whether there are plant traits common across multiple crops that could serve as an additional biotic filter or be used as predictive tools to design more optimal mycobiome compositions. Here, we leveraged a large, multi-location field experiment on corn, switchgrass, and wheat in North Carolina, USA to determine if foliar fungi respond to plant traits in a crop-dependent or -independent manner. We found that crop performance traits strongly linked to yield (Height, Leaf Area Index) dominated predictions for both fungal community turnover and joint species distributions, with rapid fungal shifts across smaller to larger plants. However, predictions for fungal response to plant traits were consistently improved by including crop identity. Based on our results, foliar fungal community assembly depends on both the plant host and associated plant traits.

Source: Fungal ecology

DOI: 10.1016/j.funeco.2026.101538

Authors: B.K. Whitaker, R.W. Heiniger, C.V. Hawkes

Institutions: Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, North Carolina State University, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research

Language: English

Topic: Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Zero hunger, Life on land

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,500