Temporal Dynamics Outweigh Fungicide Treatment in Shaping the Turfgrass Phyllosphere Resistome

Fungicide application on creeping bentgrass phyllosphere did not significantly change relative abundance of antibiotic resistance genes or a metal resistance gene at 4, 96, or 168 hours post-application.

• Why it matters: Fungicides are linked to higher ARGs in soil, but their effects on phyllosphere bacterial communities remain unclear for public-health risk assessment.
• What they did: Creeping bentgrass was treated with chlorothalonil, fluxapyroxad, or propiconazole and sampled at 4 hours, 96 hours, and 168 hours, with qPCR quantifying ARGs and an MRG relative to 16S rRNA plus 16S rRNA sequencing for community composition.
• The result: ARG and MRG relative abundance shifted significantly over time and tracked temporal changes in bacterial beta diversity, correlating with Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteriadota, and Firmicutes, including Pseudoxanthomas and Dyadobacter.

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