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Effect of Treatment of Beech Seeds with Copper Nanoparticles on Seed Coat Mycoflora
Seeds harbor a complex fungal community, of which some members may be pathogenic. For this reason, seeds are often treated with fungicides before sowing. Plant protection is constantly looking for environmentally friendly technological solutions and nanotechnology can provide a solution that is a green and environmentally friendly alternative to fungicide treatment. The aim of this study was to conduct a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the composition of fungal communities inhabiting the seed coats of healthy and damaged European beech seeds and to assess the effect of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) on the composition of these communities. The seeds were soaked in a solution of CuNPs at a concentration of 50 ppm for 30 min. There were four groups of seeds: control—not treated with CuNPs, seeds examined 1 day after CuNP (CuNP_1day) treatment, seeds examined 3 weeks after CuNP (CuNP_3weeks) treatment, and damaged seeds—not treated. A community analysis was conducted based on the ITS1 region using Illumina sequencing. In total, we found 70 taxa of fungi and Oomycota. The community on the control seeds numbered 38 taxa, on damaged seeds—67, on seeds treated with CuNPs after 1 day—40, and after 3 weeks—15, respectively. In terms of biological diversity and species composition, the community on damaged seeds differed significantly from that on CuNP_3weeks seeds and both of these treatments differed from the remaining two. On the damaged seeds, the dominant species were as follows: Botritis cinerea Pers., Globisporangium intermedium (de Bary) Uzuhashi, Tojo & Kakish., and Pythium dissotocum Drechsler. The communities of the other seed groups were dominated by Fusicoccum quercus Oudem. and Apiognomonia errabunda (Roberge ex Desm.) Höhn., which proved resistant to CuNPs. Taxa belonging to the Oomycota, fungi of the genera Fusarium, Mucor, and Penicillium, were sensitive to CuNPs and did not occur on CuNP_3weeks seeds. The significant reduction in the number of taxa and the most favorable structure of trophic groups being found on the CuNP_3weeks seeds suggest that NPs could potentially replace traditional fungicides for seed treatment.
Fungal community taxa differ in diversity and number between live and dead Prunus serotina Ehrh. wood in a protected forest within its secondary range of distribution
Prunus serotina is an important invasive plant species in Poland. It was introduced to European forests, even in places currently protected by law, such as national parks. One major factor contributing to the spread of this species is the lack of infecting pathogens and incomplete knowledge about the relationship between the plant and microorganisms. This study aimed to identify fungal communities collected from freshly cut stumps of live and dead black cherry tree specimens growing in a protected forest. The main working hypotheses were as follows: (i) fungal communities inhabiting the wood of dead and living trees will differ in diversity and the number of taxa; and (ii) saprotrophic fungi will dominate in the wood of dead tree stumps. This study applied Illumina sequencing based on the amplification of the fungal ribosomal ITSI region. The average number of sequences (OTU) obtained from the analysis of dead tree wood was 101,758, while that of living trees was 94,150. These sequences belonged to 312 taxa, among which 254 were isolated from the wood of dead trees and 171 from that of living trees. Among the saprotrophs on dead trees, the following species were identified: Stereum rugosum, Ganoderma adspersum, G. applanatum, Peniophora cinerea, and Ascocoryne cylichnium. On the other hand, in the wood of living trees, Cytospora leucostoma and Botrytis cinerea were the most abundant saprotrophic species. The fungal communities inhabiting the wood of dead and living trees differed in the diversity and abundance of taxa, thus confirming our hypothesis. The results of our research conducted in a protected area indicate that black cherry wood can be naturally colonized by many pathogen species that can further limit its expansion.