As a substitute for methyl bromide, effects of allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) on nontarget microorganisms in soil are poorly understood. This study measured the half-life of AITC in the soil as well as its effects on the soil substrate-induced respiration (SIR) and on communities of soil bacteria and fungi. The results showed that AITC had a short half-life and a short-term inhibition of SIR; high-throughput sequencing analysis showed that AITC had less effect on bacterial than fungal communities. Fumigation reduced the diversity of soil bacteria temporarily, but stimulated the diversity of soil fungi in the long-term and significantly changed the structure of the fungal community. Following AITC fumigation there were significant increases in the relative abundance of probiotics such as Sphingomonas, Streptomyces, Hypocreales, Acremonium, Aspergillus, and Pseudallescheria that help to control plant diseases. Our study provided useful information for assessing the ecological safety of AITC.
Keywords: AITC; SIR; bacterial community structure; fungal community structure; illumina high-throughput sequencing; soil microbial diversity.