المنتدى العالمي المعني بالأمن الغذائي والتغذية

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    • My laboratory is currently comparing fungal community composition and diversity in root systems of coffee grown along the continuum from conventional to organic management at 25 sites in Costa Rica.  We find that coffee farmed under shade and without large inputs of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer hosts a more diverse fungal community with more fungi (hyperparasites) that have the potential to serve as biological controls for diseases on coffee.  Our work is still in its preliminary stages but suggests that these hyperparasites may be depauperate in conventionally-managed coffee, reinforcing reliance on fungicides to achieve disease control and may need to be restored in order for farmers to successfully transition from conventional to organic management.  Despite growing recognition that fungi play critical roles in nutrient cycling and disease control, many researchers and farmers continue to view fungi as playing exclusively negative roles in crop production.  There is an urgent need to shift this paradigm by providing farmers with concrete examples of ways in which intact fungal communities can minimize the need for external inputs for nutrient supply and disease control in agriculture.