Oral: The Phytobiome: A New Frontier in Turfgrass Disease Management
42-S
Microbiome under Turfgrass: Diversity, Abundance and Ecological Functions
W. SHI (1), W. Shi (1) (1) North Carolina State University, U.S.A.
Turfgrass is a highly managed ecosystem subject to frequent fertilization, mowing, irrigation, and application of pesticides. Management practices may create a perturbed environment for soil microbial community, the dominant engine that drives carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients throughout the complex plant-soil-atmosphere continuum. To better understand the impacts of turfgrass management, we used a suite of biochemistry, process-level and molecular biology techniques to examine the diversity, abundance and ecological functioning of soil microbial community in a turfgrass chronosequence. Our results indicate that a diverse and abundant microbial community can be achieved and maintained in turfgrass ecosystems. Shifts in soil microbial community structure are primarily attributed to turf establishment rather than the length of turfgrass management.