The microbial population structure and function of peanut peanut and their effects on aflatoxin contamination

Abstract

Aflatoxin is a strong carcinogenic and toxic fungal toxin produced by Aspergillus flavus and other Aspergillus species, and can seriously threaten the health of consumers, thus becoming a global concern. Aflatoxin in agricultural products are closely related to biogeography and symbiotic microorganisms. It is not fully clear that how biogeography affects the assembly process of A. flavus and symbiotic microorganisms on plant. In this study, we analyzed the structure and assembly process of fungi and bacteria on the peanut. We also performed metagenome analysis to assess the relationships between functional genes and metabolic pathways in the microorganisms, aflatoxin and biogeography. Finally, our data showed that inoculation of beneficial microorganisms isolated from the healthy peanut-associated microbiome could significantly inhibit the enrichment of A. flavus and the production of aflatoxin in inoculated plants. Our results indicate that biogeography can significantly influence the assembly process of microorganisms, the activation of functional genes and metabolic pathways, the enrichment of aflatoxin-producing fungi. Manipulation of the peanut-associated microbiome, for instance, by inoculating peanut with beneficial strains, has potential to promote plant health. This will provide us with new ideas and perspectives on the early warning and effective prevention and control of aflatoxin contamination in agricultural products.