No abstract

We monitored the dynamics of Trichoderma spp. communities in a cucumber monocropping system. Trichoderma spp. community structure and abundance were analyzed with PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and quantitative PCR, respectively. Results showed that long-term monocropping did not affect the Trichoderma spp. community structure as indicated by the number of bands, Shannon-Wiener index and evenness index of the PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profile. Trichoderma spp. community structure abundance was the highest in the first cropping of cucumber. Our results suggested that changes in Trichoderma spp. communities may not be the causal agent of soil sickness in cucumber monocropping.