Endophytic fungal populations acting on soil suppressiveness in fruit tree orchards

The aim of the present study was i) to identify the soil inhabiting endophytic fungal populations having beneficial impact on crop health; ii) to identify the biological processes responsible of this functional effect. Activity was performed on fungal populations extracted from the microbial population of soil samples coming from three apple growing areas of Europe. Functionalities of Fusarium oxysporum and binucleate Rhizoctonia observed in this study are two small examples of soil biological resources that could be exploited in organic agriculture for developing innovative cropping practices.