Screening of Phosphate-Solubilizing Fungi From Air and Soil in Yunnan, China: Four Novel Species in Aspergillus, Gongronella, Penicillium, and Talaromyces

Abstract

Phosphate-solubilizing fungi (PSF) play an important role in increasing the bioavailability of phosphorus in soils for plants. Thirteen fungal strains, one collected from air and 12 from soil, were screened and described here in detail. These fungal strains were tested for their ability to solubilize tricalcium phosphate (TCP) on both solid and liquid Pikovskaya (PVK) media in vitro . The airborne fungal strain KUMCC 18-0196 ( Aspergillus hydei sp. nov.) showed the most significant phosphate solubilizing activity on a solid PVK medium with the solubilization index (SI) (2.58 ± 0.04 cm) and the highest solubilized phosphates (1523.33 ± 47.87 μg/mL) on a liquid PVK medium. To the best of our knowledge, A. hydei sp. nov. is the first phosphate-solubilizing fungus reported from air. We also provide the identification especially for Aspergillus , Penicillium and Talaromyces , generally reported as PSF. It is important to not only screen for PSF but also identify species properly so that researchers have a clearer taxonomic picture for identifying potential taxa for future plant growth-promoting applications. Herein, A. hydei (section Nigri ), Gongronella hydei , Penicillium soli (section Lanata-Divaricata ) and Talaromyces yunnanensis (section Talaromyces ) are fully described and introduced as new to science. These four new species are identified based on both morphological characteristics and multigene phylogenetic analyses, including the genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition method where necessary. Penicillium austrosinense is considered to be a synonym of P. guaibinense.

Growth Enhancement of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and Onion (Allium cepa) With Inoculation of Three Newly Identified Mineral-Solubilizing Fungi in the Genus Aspergillus Section Nigri

“…Our phylogenetic analyses of a combined five genes (cam, benA, rpb2, tef1, and act) revealed that three new species, A. chiangmaiensis, A. pseudopiperis, and A. pseudotubingensis, formed distinct lineages within the Aspergillus section Nigri. Morphologically, A. chiangmaiensis, A. pseudopiperis, and A. pseudotubingensis have been distinguished from the currently accepted species of Aspergillus section Nigri (Samson et al, 2014;Fungaro et al, 2017;Crous et al, 2018;da Silva et al, 2020;Doilom et al, 2020). The different morphological characteristics identified between the three new species have indicated that only A. chiangmaiensis and A. pseudopiperis could produce sclerotia (Supplementary Table 2).…”

New Species of Talaromyces (Fungi) Isolated from Soil in Southwestern China

“…Sun et al, and T. yunnanensis Doilom and C.F. Liao were later described [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. In the section (sect.)…”

Discovery of Three Novel Cytospora Species in Thailand and Their Antagonistic Potential

“…[24,25,27,54]; however, species identification of these potential strains was not established. The taxonomic classification and phylogenetic relationships can be used as important tools for the screening of biologically active strains and their biological activities for further applications [55,56].…”