Transitioning to agroecology promotes mutualistic fungi while reducing antagonists in lettuce roots

Abstract

Conventional agriculture affects biodiversity, including soil biota. Agroecology advocates reducing agrochemicals and enhancing biodiversity´s ecological services, though its impact on vegetable root symbionts is poorly understood. We compared root mutualists´ abundance and richness, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and dark septate endophytic fungi (DSEF), and the root pathogen Olpidiaster brassicae in lettuce roots from ´transition to agroecology´ (TA) and ´conventional horticulture´ (CH) fields. Plants from TA showed higher root colonization and the richness mutualists, with reduced O. brassicae root colonization. These findings highlight agroecological management´s potential to enhance plant health by nurturing beneficial root symbionts and suppressing antagonistic fungi.