title: Soil fungal resources in annual cropping systems and their potential for management.
abstract: Soil fungi are a critical component of agroecosystems and provide ecological services that impact the production of food and bioproducts. Effective management of fungal resources is essential to optimize the productivity and sustainability of agricultural ecosystems. In this review, we (i) highlight the functional groups of fungi that play key roles in agricultural ecosystems, (ii) examine the influence of agronomic practices on these fungi, and (iii) propose ways to improve the management and contribution of soil fungi to annual cropping systems. Many of these key soil fungal organisms (i.e., arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and fungal root endophytes) interact directly with plants and are determinants of the efficiency of agroecosystems. In turn, plants largely control rhizosphere fungi through the production of carbon and energy rich compounds and of bioactive phytochemicals, making them a powerful tool for the management of soil fungal diversity in agriculture. The use of crop rotations and selection of optimal plant genotypes can be used to improve soil biodiversity and promote beneficial soil fungi. In addition, other agronomic practices (e.g., no-till, microbial inoculants, and biochemical amendments) can be used to enhance the effect of beneficial fungi and increase the health and productivity of cultivated soils.
authors.affiliation: Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1030, 1 Airport Road, Swift Current, SK, Canada S9H 3X2.
authors.forename: Walid
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8749-9486
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ellouze
authors.affiliation: Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1030, 1 Airport Road, Swift Current, SK, Canada S9H 3X2 ; Department Food and Bioproduct Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5A8.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esmaeili Taheri
authors.affiliation: Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1030, 1 Airport Road, Swift Current, SK, Canada S9H 3X2.
authors.forename: Luke D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Bainard
authors.affiliation: Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1030, 1 Airport Road, Swift Current, SK, Canada S9H 3X2 ; Department Food and Bioproduct Sciences, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5A8.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1030, 1 Airport Road, Swift Current, SK, Canada S9H 3X2 ; Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5A8.
authors.forename: Navid
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1511-4380
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bazghaleh
authors.affiliation: Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1030, 1 Airport Road, Swift Current, SK, Canada S9H 3X2 ; Department of Soil Science, College of Agriculture and Bioresources, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5A8.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Navarro-Borrell
authors.affiliation: Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1030, 1 Airport Road, Swift Current, SK, Canada S9H 3X2.
authors.forename: Keith
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0929-7691
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.affiliation: Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, P.O. Box 1030, 1 Airport Road, Swift Current, SK, Canada S9H 3X2.
authors.forename: Chantal
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hamel
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods*; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000502:physiology*; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology*; D012988:Soil Microbiology