Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center, Beaumont, Texas, USA.
Department of Plant Pathology, University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Microbiol Spectr. 2024 Oct 3;12(10):e0366223. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.03662-23. Epub 2024 Aug 13.
The seed serves as the primary source for establishing microbial populations in plants across subsequent generations, influencing plant growth and overall health. Cropping conditions, especially farming practices, can influence the composition and functionality of the seed microbiome. Very little is known about the differences in seed microbiome between organic and conventional production systems. In this study, we characterized the endophytic microbial populations in seeds of rice grown under organic and conventional management practices through culture-dependent and -independent analyses. The V4 region of 16S rRNA was used for bacterial taxa identification, and the ITS1 region was used for the identification of fungal taxa. Our results revealed significantly higher Shannon and Simpson indices for bacterial diversity in the conventional farming system, whereas the fungal diversity was higher for observed, Shannon, and Simpson indices in the organic farming system. The cultivable endophytic bacteria were isolated and identified using the full-length 16S rRNA gene. There was no difference in culturable endophytic bacterial isolates in rice seeds grown under both conventional and organic farming systems. Among 33 unique isolates tested , three bacteria- sp. ST24, sp. OR5, and sp. ST25-showed antagonistic activities against AG4, and AG11, the fungal pathogens causing seedling blight in rice.
In this paper, we studied the differences in the endophytic microbial composition of rice seeds grown in conventional and organic farming systems. Our results demonstrate a greater bacterial diversity in conventional farming, while organic farming showcases a higher fungal diversity. Additionally, our research reveals the ability of seed bacterial endophytes to inhibit the growth of three fungal pathogens responsible for causing seedling blight in rice. This study provides valuable insights into the potential use of beneficial seed microbial endophytes for developing a novel microbiome-based strategy in the management of rice diseases. Such an approach has the potential to enhance overall plant health and improve crop productivity.
种子是在后续世代中在植物中建立微生物种群的主要来源，影响植物的生长和整体健康。种植条件，特别是耕作实践，会影响种子微生物组的组成和功能。对于有机和常规生产系统之间种子微生物组的差异，人们知之甚少。在这项研究中，我们通过依赖和独立的培养分析，描述了在有机和常规管理实践下生长的水稻种子中的内生微生物种群。使用 16S rRNA 的 V4 区域进行细菌分类群鉴定，使用 ITS1 区域进行真菌分类群鉴定。我们的结果表明，常规农业系统中细菌多样性的 Shannon 和 Simpson 指数显著较高，而有机农业系统中观察到的、Shannon 和 Simpson 指数的真菌多样性较高。使用全长 16S rRNA 基因分离和鉴定可培养的内生细菌。在常规和有机农业系统下生长的水稻种子中，可培养的内生细菌分离株没有差异。在测试的 33 个独特分离株中，三种细菌 - sp. ST24、sp. OR5 和 sp. ST25- 对引起水稻幼苗疫病的真菌病原体 AG4 和 AG11 表现出拮抗活性。
在本文中，我们研究了在常规和有机农业系统中生长的水稻种子内生微生物组成的差异。我们的结果表明，常规农业中细菌多样性更大，而有机农业中真菌多样性更高。此外，我们的研究揭示了种子细菌内生菌抑制三种引起水稻幼苗疫病的真菌病原体生长的能力。这项研究为利用有益的种子微生物内生菌开发一种基于微生物组的新型策略来管理水稻疾病提供了有价值的见解。这种方法有可能提高植物的整体健康水平并提高作物的生产力。
