Fusarium Community Composition and Co-Occurrence with Other Fungi and Bacteria in Finnish Oat Crop

Abstract

Fusarium species are major contributors to Fusarium head blight (FHB) and mycotoxin contamination in cereal production. To characterize microbial co-occurrence associated with toxin accumulation in oats, the Fusarium, fungal, and bacterial communities of 51 Finnish oat grain samples were analyzed using a multi-marker metabarcoding approach targeting Fusarium translation elongation factor 1‑alpha (EF1α), fungal ITS2, and bacterial 16S regions. Microbial profiles were compared between grains with high and low deoxynivalenol (DON) concentrations. High‑DON samples were dominated by F. graminearum, whereas F. langsethiae prevailed in low‑DON grains. Bacterial diversity was higher in high‑DON samples, while fungal diversity remained similar across groups. Several bacterial genera, including Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, Massilia, and Curtobacterium, exhibited negative correlations with Fusarium species, indicating competition in the same niche, whereas Duganella and Xylophilus showed positive association with Fusarium abundance. Microdochium consistently co-occurred with Fusarium. Results show differences in microbial communities associated with mycotoxin levels and Fusarium community composition, identifying taxa that may influence FHB or indicate mycotoxin risk.

Graphical Abstract:

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-026-02848-6.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{sohlberg2026fusarium,
  title = {{Fusarium Community Composition and Co-Occurrence with Other Fungi and Bacteria in Finnish Oat Crop}},
  author = {Elina Sohlberg and Arja Laitila and Sari Rämö and Tuija Sarlin},
  journal = {Microbial Ecology},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  doi = {10.1007/s00248-026-02848-6},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-026-02848-6},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Fusarium Community Composition and Co-Occurrence with Other Fungi and Bacteria in Finnish Oat Crop
AU  - Elina Sohlberg
AU  - Arja Laitila
AU  - Sari Rämö
AU  - Tuija Sarlin
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/03
JO  - Microbial Ecology
DO  - 10.1007/s00248-026-02848-6
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-026-02848-6
AB  - Fusarium species are major contributors to Fusarium head blight (FHB) and mycotoxin contamination in cereal production. To characterize microbial co-occurrence associated with toxin accumulation in oats, the Fusarium, fungal, and bacterial communities of 51 Finnish oat grain samples were analyzed using a multi-marker metabarcoding approach targeting Fusarium translation elongation factor 1‑alpha (EF1α), fungal ITS2, and bacterial 16S regions. Microbial profiles were compared between grains with high and low deoxynivalenol (DON) concentrations. High‑DON samples were dominated by F. graminearum, whereas F. langsethiae prevailed in low‑DON grains. Bacterial diversity was higher in high‑DON samples, while fungal diversity remained similar across groups. Several bacterial genera, including Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, Massilia, and Curtobacterium, exhibited negative correlations with Fusarium species, indicating competition in the same niche, whereas Duganella and Xylophilus showed positive association with Fusarium abundance. Microdochium consistently co-occurred with Fusarium. Results show differences in microbial communities associated with mycotoxin levels and Fusarium community composition, identifying taxa that may influence FHB or indicate mycotoxin risk.  Graphical Abstract:  Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-026-02848-6.
SN  - 0095-3628
SN  - 1432-184X
ER  -

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