Only a small proportion of the full spectrum of soil fungi species is readily isolatable using in vitro culture, but species identification and quantification www.selleckchem.com/products/PF-2341066.html methods based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have made a considerable impact in this field. In particular, the combination of a PCR-based assay of the variable 18S rRNA gene and amplicon separation using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) has been used to derive a much more complete picture of the soil fungal community than what has been achievable in the past [10].The physical and chemical environment in the rhizosphere is heavily influenced by the living root [11�C13], which also affects the local abundance and diversity of soil microbes [14].

Soil-borne pathogens are attracted to the roots of their host species via their perception of specific molecules secreted by the plant into the soil [15, 16]. In a monocropping situation, it is this mechanism which is largely responsible for the buildup of pathogen inoculum over time.As yet there has been little research focus on the soil microbial community associated with ornamental species. The dynamics of the bacterial component of the chrysanthemum soil microflora were described in some detail by Duineveld et al. [17, 18], but no published literature relates to the fungal component of the soil microflora. Here, we have investigated fungal abundance and diversity in soil supporting the growth of chrysanthemum using real time PCR and DGGE.

The aims were to assess whether fungal abundance and diversity were affected by the growth stage of the plant and/or by continuous monocropping and to identify which fungal species are responsible for productivity decline in monocropped chrysanthemum. 2. Materials and Methods2.1. Soil and Plant GrowthSoil used for three years of continuously monocropped chrysanthemum was obtained from the Chrysanthemum Germplasm Resource Preserving Centre, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China. Its pH was 6.0, and it contained 10% organic matter and ~15% moisture. Cuttings of the cultivar ��Jinba�� (obtained from the Chrysanthemum Germplasm Resource Preserving Centre) were first established by growing in a perlite medium for three weeks then transplanted into pots; meanwhile, the soil mentioned above was applied. The material was raised in a greenhouse maintained at 28��C during the 16h day and at 22��C during the night; the relative humidity was kept at 70%.

Carfilzomib Eight weeks after transplantation, the photoperiod was reduced to 8h to induce flowering.2.2. Soil Sampling and Extraction of Soil Microflora DNATwo, six, and 12 weeks after the transplanting, rhizosphere and bulk soil samples were collected and combined from 10 individually grown plants following Zhao et al. [19]. At these times, the plants were at the seedling stage, the vegetative stage, and the productive stage, respectively.