RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Soil microbial communities in diverse agroecosystems exposed to glyphosate
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 484055
DO 10.1101/484055
A1 Ryan M. Kepler
A1 Dietrich J. Epp Schmidt
A1 Stephanie A. Yarwood
A1 Krishna N. Reddy
A1 Stephen O. Duke
A1 Carl A. Bradley
A1 Martin M. Williams II
A1 Jeffery Buyer
A1 Michel A. Cavigelli
A1 Jude E. Maul
YR 2018
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/12/06/484055.abstract
AB In spite of glyphosate’s wide use in agriculture, questions remain about effects of the herbicide on soil microbial communities. Conflicting scientific literature reports divergent results; from no observable effect of glyphosate to the enrichment of common agricultural pathogens such as Fusarium. We conducted a comprehensive field-based study to compare treatments that did and did not receive foliar application of glyphosate spray. The study included two field sites, Maryland and Mississippi; two crops, soybean and corn; four site years, 2013 and 2014; and a variety of organic and conventional farming systems. Using amplicon sequencing, the prokaryotic (16S rRNA) and fungal (ITS) communities were described along with chemical and physical properties of the soil. Sections of corn and soy roots were plated to screen for the presence of plant pathogens. Geography, farming system, and seasonal progression were significant factors determining composition of fungal and bacterial communities. Plots treated with or without glyphosate did not differ in overall microbial community composition after controlling for these factors. No differential effect of glyphosate treatment was found in the relative abundance of organisms such as Fusarium spp. or putative growth-promoting bacteria Pseudomonas spp.