Transition to agroecology and fungal diversity in farms of central Argentina

Conventional agriculture generally relies on monocultures and external inputs, such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which not only impact farmers economies and health but also lead to a reduction of soil biodiversity. Agroecological management is constituted by a series of alternative strategies that seek to increase the biodiversity of agroecosystems and rely on the ecosystem services that it provides. Fungi are key components in ecosystems but few studies have examined how agroecology affects soil fungal composition. Using meta-genomic tools, we studied the taxonomic and functional composition of fungi in soils subjected to conventional horticulture and transition to agroecology.