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Volume 14
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Article

Soil Physicochemical and Metagenomic Analyses of Bacteria and Fungi: Toward Desert Truffle Cultivation in Saudi Arabia

by
Sakhr Alhuthali
1,2,*,
Suleiman K. Bello
3,
Ahmed M. Bageel
3,
Amal Bakr Shori
4,
Noor M. Bataweel
5,
Ahmed M. Al-Hejin
4,5,
Abdulaziz A. Al-Qarawi
6 and
Paul W. Thomas
7
1
Chemical and Materials Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Chemical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
3
Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 80200, Saudi Arabia
4
Department of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
5
King Fahd Medical Research Centre, Microbiology Level 2 Laboratory, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 80200, Saudi Arabia
6
Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
7
Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Agronomy 2024, 14(12), 3021; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14123021
Submission received: 23 October 2024 / Revised: 29 November 2024 / Accepted: 16 December 2024 / Published: 18 December 2024
(This article belongs to the Section Soil and Plant Nutrition)
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Abstract

Researchers are exploring plant-based protein sources to address both malnutrition and climate change. Desert truffles are rich in protein (i.e., ≈20%) and offer a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option. However, desert truffle cultivation is limited by environmental factors like rainfall and soil properties. This study was conducted to understand the soil conditions and microbiomes associated with desert truffles growing in parts of Saudi Arabia. Based on yield, the truffle fields were categorized into high-yield (≈50 kg/ha annually) and low-yield (≈2 kg/ha annually) truffle farms. Truffle yield differences were not significantly influenced by most soil physicochemical variables except for total nitrogen (negatively correlated). However, low soil nitrogen alone did not explain yield disparities, as wild truffle fields with low nitrogen also produced fewer truffles. In contrast, truffle yield showed a strong positive correlation with calcium carbonate content. We hypothesized that the unmeasured irrigation schedule was most likely behind the truffle yield differences especially during fruiting season. Furthermore, the high-yield farms had lower bacteria richness and diversity than the low-yield farms. Environmentally important bacteria genera such as Geodermatophilus and Rubrobacter were found in both farms, although more were found in the low-yield one, whereas more Streptomyces were found in the high-yield farm. In addition, fungal alpha diversity was higher in the high-yield farm with the dominance of Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, and Glomeromycetes.
Keywords: desert truffle; rhizosphere soil; mycorrhizal fungus; soil bacteria; desert soil; desert truffle cultivation; Tirmania nivea and Terfezia claveryi desert truffle; rhizosphere soil; mycorrhizal fungus; soil bacteria; desert soil; desert truffle cultivation; Tirmania nivea and Terfezia claveryi

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MDPI and ACS Style

Alhuthali, S.; Bello, S.K.; Bageel, A.M.; Shori, A.B.; Bataweel, N.M.; Al-Hejin, A.M.; Al-Qarawi, A.A.; Thomas, P.W. Soil Physicochemical and Metagenomic Analyses of Bacteria and Fungi: Toward Desert Truffle Cultivation in Saudi Arabia. Agronomy 2024, 14, 3021. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14123021

AMA Style

Alhuthali S, Bello SK, Bageel AM, Shori AB, Bataweel NM, Al-Hejin AM, Al-Qarawi AA, Thomas PW. Soil Physicochemical and Metagenomic Analyses of Bacteria and Fungi: Toward Desert Truffle Cultivation in Saudi Arabia. Agronomy. 2024; 14(12):3021. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14123021

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alhuthali, Sakhr, Suleiman K. Bello, Ahmed M. Bageel, Amal Bakr Shori, Noor M. Bataweel, Ahmed M. Al-Hejin, Abdulaziz A. Al-Qarawi, and Paul W. Thomas. 2024. "Soil Physicochemical and Metagenomic Analyses of Bacteria and Fungi: Toward Desert Truffle Cultivation in Saudi Arabia" Agronomy 14, no. 12: 3021. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14123021

APA Style

Alhuthali, S., Bello, S. K., Bageel, A. M., Shori, A. B., Bataweel, N. M., Al-Hejin, A. M., Al-Qarawi, A. A., & Thomas, P. W. (2024). Soil Physicochemical and Metagenomic Analyses of Bacteria and Fungi: Toward Desert Truffle Cultivation in Saudi Arabia. Agronomy, 14(12), 3021. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14123021

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