Soil fungal community of wheat Triticum aestivum rhizosphere at different phenological stages under a rain-fed management

Wheat cultivation is the largest terrestrial agricultural crop globally. A study was conducted to determine the soil fungal community composition and functionality in the winter wheat Triticum aestivum rhizosphere at different phenological stages. We measured and analyzed abiotic soil parameters. The rhizosphere fungal community taxonomic and functional groups were defined in the wheat rhizosphere region using molecular tools. Our data showed that of a total of nine phyla, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the most common fungal phyla in the soil samples. Of a total of fifty-seven genera, Mortierella was the most abundant fungal genus in the wheat soil rhizosphere. In the wheat field, three fungal genera, Mycosphaerella, Alternaria and Sporobolomyces exhibited a decrease in abundance with increase in soil moisture, yielding a negative correlation (r = −0.52, −0.67, −0.70, respectively). Mycosphaerella was positively correlated with plant and root biomass. Fungal genera diversity H’, represented by the Shannon index, indicated significant differences (p < 0.05) between phenological statuses in the wheat field, contrary to no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the control site. Saprotroph and pathotroph fungal guilds oscillated significantly (p < 0.05) in the soil samples collected in the wheat rhizosphere along the phenological stages. Pathotroph fungi were positively correlated with plant and root biomass and symbiotrophs with abiotic factors. Our results emphasize the importance and impact of the wheat plant phenological stage on the rhizosphere fungal community.