Toxins Produced by Soil Fungi: Distribution, Ecological Role, Biodegradation

Abstract

Soil fungi play an important role in microbial-plant interactions, being producers of various biologically active compounds, including mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are found in soil, agricultural raw materials, feed and food products. Toxin-producing fungi affect many agricultural crops, and the content of mycotoxins in raw plant materials can be quite high. This review presents the main aspects related to properties of mycotoxins, their producers, their ecological role, contribution to microbial-plant interactions, interactions with other microorganisms, their biotransformation in the soil.