Deciphering the role of rhizosphere microbiota in modulating disease resistance in cabbage varieties.

Cabbage Fusarium wilt (CFW) is a devastating disease caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans (Foc). One of the optimal measures for managing CFW is the employment of tolerant/resistant cabbage varieties. However, the interplay between plant genotypes and the pathogen Foc in shaping the rhizosphere microbial community, and the consequent influence of these microbial assemblages on biological resistance, remains inadequately understood. Based on amplicon metabarcoding data, we observed distinct differences in the fungal alpha diversity index (Shannon index) and beta diversity index (unweighted Bray-Curtis dissimilarity) within the rhizosphere of the YR (resistant to Foc) and ZG (susceptible to Foc) cabbage varieties, irrespective of Foc inoculation. Notably, the Shannon diversity shifts in the resistant YR variety were more pronounced following Foc inoculation. Disease-resistant plant variety demonstrate a higher propensity for harboring beneficial microorganisms, such as Pseudomonas, and exhibit superior capabilities in evading harmful microorganisms, in contrast to their disease-susceptible counterparts. Furthermore, the network analysis was performed on rhizosphere-associated microorganisms, including both bacteria and fungi. The networks of association recovered from YR exhibited greater complexity, robustness, and density, regardless of Foc inoculation. Following Foc infection in the YR rhizosphere, there was a notable increase in the dominant bacterium NA13, which is also a hub taxon in the microbial network. Reintroducing NA13 into the soil significantly improved disease resistance in the susceptible ZG variety, by directly inhibiting Foc and triggering defense mechanisms in the roots. The rhizosphere microbial communities of these two cabbage varieties are markedly distinct, with the introduction of the pathogen eliciting significant alterations in their microbial networks which is correlated with susceptibility or resistance to soil-borne pathogens. Furthermore, we identified a rhizobacteria species that significantly boosts disease resistance in susceptible cabbages. Our results indicated that the induction of resistance genes leading to varied responses in microbial communities to pathogens may partly explain the differing susceptibilities of the cabbage varieties tested to CFW. Video Abstract.

Ping X ，Khan RAA ，Chen S ，Jiao Y ，Zhuang X ，Jiang L ，Song L ，Yang Y ，Zhao J ，Li Y ，Mao Z ，Xie B ，Ling J ... -  《Microbiome》

Deciphering microbial diversity associated with Fusarium wilt-diseased and disease-free banana rhizosphere soil.

Zhou D ，Jing T ，Chen Y ，Wang F ，Qi D ，Feng R ，Xie J ，Li H ... -  《BMC MICROBIOLOGY》

Resource Screening and Inheritance Analysis of Fusarium oxysporum sp. conglutinans Race 2 Resistance in Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata).

Tong L ，Zhao C ，Liu J ，Yang L ，Zhuang M ，Zhang Y ，Wang Y ，Ji J ，Kuang B ，Tang K ，Fang Z ，Fujimoto R ，Lv H ... -  《Genes》

Transcriptome Profiling of Resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans in Cabbage (Brassica oleracea) Roots.

Xing M ，Lv H ，Ma J ，Xu D ，Li H ，Yang L ，Kang J ，Wang X ，Fang Z ... -  《PLoS One》

Synthetic community derived from grafted watermelon rhizosphere provides protection for ungrafted watermelon against Fusarium oxysporum via microbial synergistic effects.

Plant microbiota contributes to plant growth and health, including enhancing plant resistance to various diseases. Despite remarkable progress in understanding diseases resistance in plants, the precise role of rhizosphere microbiota in enhancing watermelon resistance against soil-borne diseases remains unclear. Here, we constructed a synthetic community (SynCom) of 16 core bacterial strains obtained from the rhizosphere of grafted watermelon plants. We further simplified SynCom and investigated the role of bacteria with synergistic interactions in promoting plant growth through a simple synthetic community. Our results demonstrated that the SynCom significantly enhanced the growth and disease resistance of ungrafted watermelon grown in non-sterile soil. Furthermore, analysis of the amplicon and metagenome data revealed the pivotal role of Pseudomonas in enhancing plant health, as evidenced by a significant increase in the relative abundance and biofilm-forming pathways of Pseudomonas post-SynCom inoculation. Based on in vitro co-culture experiments and bacterial metabolomic analysis, we selected Pseudomonas along with seven other members of the SynCom that exhibited synergistic effects with Pseudomonas. It enabled us to further refine the initially constructed SynCom into a simplified SynCom comprising the eight selected bacterial species. Notably, the plant-promoting effects of simplified SynCom were similar to those of the initial SynCom. Furthermore, the simplified SynCom protected plants through synergistic effects of bacteria. Our findings suggest that the SynCom proliferate in the rhizosphere and mitigate soil-borne diseases through microbial synergistic interactions, highlighting the potential of synergistic effects between microorganisms in enhancing plant health. This study provides a novel insight into using the functional SynCom as a promising solution for sustainable agriculture. Video Abstract.

Qiao Y ，Wang Z ，Sun H ，Guo H ，Song Y ，Zhang H ，Ruan Y ，Xu Q ，Huang Q ，Shen Q ，Ling N ... -  《Microbiome》