Abstract
The diverse fungal communities that colonize fruit surfaces are closely associated with fruit development, preservation and quality control. However, the overall fungi adhering to the fruit surface and the inference of environmental factors are still unknown. Here, we characterized the fungal signatures on apple surfaces by sequencing internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region. We collected the surface fungal communities from apple fruits cultivated in rural and peri-urban orchards. A total of 111 fungal genera belonging to 4 phyla were identified, showing remarkable fungal diversity on the apple surface. Comparative analysis of rural samples harboured higher fungal diversity than those from peri-urban orchards. In addition, fungal composition varied significantly across apple samples. At the genus level, the protective genera Coniothyrium, Paraphaeosphaeria and Periconia were enriched in rural samples. The pathogenic genera Acremonium, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Tilletiposis were enriched in peri-urban samples. Our findings indicate that rural samples maintained more diverse fungal communities on apple surfaces, whereas peri-urban-planted apple carried potential pathogenic risks. This study sheds light on ways to improve fruit cultivation and disease prevention practices.
Highlights
The diverse fungal communities that colonize fruit surfaces are closely associated with fruit development, preservation and quality control
After filtering the rare operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (≤0.001% of the total sequences, ≤4 hits in this study), a total of 530,764 sequences were clustered in 421 identified OTUs taxonomies
The diversity of fungi on fresh apple surfaces is closely associated with fruit development, preservation and quality control[3,4,5]
Summary
The diverse fungal communities that colonize fruit surfaces are closely associated with fruit development, preservation and quality control. We collected the surface fungal communities from apple fruits cultivated in rural and peri-urban orchards. Our findings indicate that rural samples maintained more diverse fungal communities on apple surfaces, whereas peri-urban-planted apple carried potential pathogenic risks. Despite the improvement of technologies for disease control and post-harvest preservation, the complexities of fungal communities and their diversity on apple surfaces, as well as their potential effect on quality, are just beginning to be revealed. The effects of environmental factors associated with rural and peri-urban planting on the apple-surface fungi must be further explored. Fruit species[28], location[32], orchard production strategies[19], and organic/conventional agricultural practices[32] have been investigated and demonstrated to be important factors that affect microbial community and diversity. The microbial security of peri-urban planted produce requires further attention
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