Short communicationOpening up the N2O-producing fungal community in an agricultural soil with a cytochrome p450nor-based primer tool

•Agricultural soil harbored diverse fungi capable of N2O production.•p450nor genes were widely distributed in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.•Using two p450nor primer sets broadened the taxonomic coverage of denitrifying fungi.

Fungi play an important role in soil N2O emissions; yet little is known on the community ecology of N2O-producing fungi in soil. We explored denitrifying fungi using a cytochrome p450nor-based primer tool. Clone library and sequencing analysis revealed that soil harbored diverse denitrifying fungi in Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Ascomycotal fungi were widely distributed across orders, Eurotiales, Hypocreales, and Sordariales. Denitrifying fungi were also expanded to include Cylindrocarpon, Neurospora, Thielavia, and Trichosporon that were undetected in our previous culture-based work. These results indicate that the p450nor-based primer tool can provide a more comprehensive characterization of denitrifying fungal community in soil environment.