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Article

Exploring the Characteristics of Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Isolates and Their Biocontrol Impact on Soil Fungal Communities

by
Yanyan Zhang
1,
Wanning Wang
1,
Chenggui Piao
1,
Wenjin Li
2,
Peter J. Cotty
1,
Shihua Shan
3,
Usman Rasheed
4,
Quirico Migheli
5,6 and
Qing Kong
1,*
1
School of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266404, China
2
Tai’an Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Tai’an 271018, China
3
Shandong Peanut Research Institute, Qingdao 266100, China
4
Institute of Applied Microbiology, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 53005, China
5
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
6
Desertiffcation Research Centre (NRD), University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Fungi 2025, 11(7), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11070491 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 13 May 2025 / Revised: 22 June 2025 / Accepted: 26 June 2025 / Published: 27 June 2025
Versions Notes

Abstract

Aspergillus flavus can produce aflatoxins, posing a threat of contamination to peanuts. To mitigate this issue, the use of biocontrol isolates, which do not produce aflatoxins (AF−), has been considered to reduce aflatoxin levels. In this study, we evaluated five different AF− isolates belonging to different vegetative compatibility groups, all of which exhibited varying degrees of deletion in aflatoxin biosynthesis gene clusters. One isolate that exhibited poor competitive ability against toxigenic A. flavus was eliminated, and the remaining four isolates were formulated as biocontrol agents and applied to a peanut field in Tai’an, Shandong, as a combination. Three months after application, the soil aflatoxin content was reduced from 0.62 ± 0.01 to 0.19 ± 0.03 μg/kg (inhibition rate: 69.35%). Among filamentous fungi in the soil, the proportion of AF− isolates increased from 0% to 4.33%. Using SSR-specific primers, the microbial agents were recovered. We discovered that among the four AF− isolates, CA04 had a lower colonization rate compared to the other three (only 12.00% of the total AF− population), suggesting that the absence of sclerotia may result in poor reversibility and weaker dispersal ability. We utilized Illumina sequencing to investigate the changes in soil fungal ecology. The results showed a reduction in the population density of harmful fungi, such as Fusarium spp. (66.18%) and Plectosphaerella spp. (79.90%), but an increase in the density of Nothopassalora personata. This is the first study on the dispersal distance and soil fungal community structure following the application of AF− agents in peanut fields in China.
Keywords: aflatoxin; atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus; biological control; soil fungal community aflatoxin; atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus; biological control; soil fungal community

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhang, Y.; Wang, W.; Piao, C.; Li, W.; Cotty, P.J.; Shan, S.; Rasheed, U.; Migheli, Q.; Kong, Q. Exploring the Characteristics of Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Isolates and Their Biocontrol Impact on Soil Fungal Communities. J. Fungi 2025, 11, 491. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11070491

AMA Style

Zhang Y, Wang W, Piao C, Li W, Cotty PJ, Shan S, Rasheed U, Migheli Q, Kong Q. Exploring the Characteristics of Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Isolates and Their Biocontrol Impact on Soil Fungal Communities. Journal of Fungi. 2025; 11(7):491. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11070491

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhang, Yanyan, Wanning Wang, Chenggui Piao, Wenjin Li, Peter J. Cotty, Shihua Shan, Usman Rasheed, Quirico Migheli, and Qing Kong. 2025. "Exploring the Characteristics of Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Isolates and Their Biocontrol Impact on Soil Fungal Communities" Journal of Fungi 11, no. 7: 491. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11070491

APA Style

Zhang, Y., Wang, W., Piao, C., Li, W., Cotty, P. J., Shan, S., Rasheed, U., Migheli, Q., & Kong, Q. (2025). Exploring the Characteristics of Atoxigenic Aspergillus flavus Isolates and Their Biocontrol Impact on Soil Fungal Communities. Journal of Fungi, 11(7), 491. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11070491

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