Modulation of Sorghum-Associated Fungal Communities by Trichoderma Bioinoculants: Insights from ITS Amplicon Sequencing

The current investigation assesses the impact of Trichoderma-based bioinoculants on the fungal community structure in multiple sorghum compartments: soil, roots, seeds, and stems. Using high-throughput internal transcribed spacer (ITS) amplicon sequencing and ecological guild analysis, we aim to assess (i) changes in fungal diversity and community composition, (ii) shifts in key genera such as Trichoderma and Fusarium, and (iii) functional roles (e.g., pathogenic, saprotrophic, symbiotrophic) of enriched taxa. Through this work, we aim to deepen our mechanistic understanding of how microbial inoculants influence the sorghum microbiome and inform sustainable strategies for disease management and crop resilience.