Kiige John Kamathi, Kavoo Agnes Mumo, Mwajita Mwashasha Rashid, Mogire Derleen, Ogada Stephen, Wekesa Tofick Barasa, Kiirika Leonard Muriithi
Department of Agricultural Sciences, Karatina University, Karatina, Kenya.
Department of Horticulture and Food Security, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.
PLoS One. 2025 May 9;20(5):e0323382. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323382. eCollection 2025.
Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is an important food crop in Kenya, providing a source of nutrition and income for many farmers. However, potato cyst nematodes (PCN) cause significant damage to potato plants, leading to substantial economic losses and threatening the nation's food security. Understanding the composition and functional potential of bacterial communities in the soil is important for developing sustainable biological control strategies against PCN and improving soil health. This cross-sectional purposive study examined the bacterial communities associated with PCN-suppressive and conducive potato rhizosphere from two major potato-producing counties in Kenya. We analyzed 180 soil samples from symptomatic and asymptomatic potato plants using shotgun metagenomics, followed by functional analysis to identify genes and metabolic pathways relevant to soil and plant health. Taxonomic classification revealed Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae as the most dominant bacterial families present. Within these families, the genera Pseudomonas and Enterobacter were highly abundant, both known for their plant growth-promoting traits, including biological control of soil pathogens and nutrient solubilization. KEGG and Pfam database analysis revealed pathways associated with nutrient cycling, transport systems, and metabolic functions. The abundance of iron-acquisition, chemotaxis, and diverse transport genes across analyzed samples suggests the presence of beneficial bacterial communities. This study provides the first report on bacterial ecology in PCN-infested rhizosphere in Kenya and its implications for soil health and PCN management.
马铃薯（Solanum tuberosum L.）是肯尼亚一种重要的粮食作物，为许多农民提供营养来源和收入。然而，马铃薯胞囊线虫（PCN）对马铃薯植株造成严重损害，导致巨大的经济损失，并威胁到该国的粮食安全。了解土壤中细菌群落的组成和功能潜力对于制定针对PCN的可持续生物防治策略以及改善土壤健康至关重要。这项横断面的目的性研究调查了肯尼亚两个主要马铃薯生产县与抑制PCN和有利于PCN生长的马铃薯根际相关的细菌群落。我们使用鸟枪法宏基因组学分析了来自有症状和无症状马铃薯植株的180个土壤样本，随后进行功能分析以确定与土壤和植物健康相关的基因和代谢途径。分类学分类显示肠杆菌科和假单胞菌科是最主要的细菌家族。在这些家族中，假单胞菌属和肠杆菌属高度丰富，它们都以促进植物生长的特性而闻名，包括对土壤病原体的生物防治和养分溶解。KEGG和Pfam数据库分析揭示了与养分循环、运输系统和代谢功能相关的途径。分析样本中铁获取、趋化作用和多种运输基因的丰度表明存在有益细菌群落。本研究首次报道了肯尼亚受PCN侵染的根际细菌生态学及其对土壤健康和PCN管理的影响。
