Microbial Interactions Influence the Chemical Defense of Wild and Cultivated Tomato Species

Dimitri Orine; Haymanti Saha; Gaetan Glauser; Arjen Biere; Sergio Rasmann

doi:10.1007/s10886-025-01598-y

Microbial Interactions Influence the Chemical Defense of Wild and Cultivated Tomato Species

Dimitri Orine, Haymanti Saha, Gaetan Glauser, Arjen Biere, Sergio Rasmann^* (Corresponding author)

^*Corresponding author for this work

NIOO - Terrestrial Ecology (TE)

Research output: Contribution to journal/periodical › Article › Scientific › peer-review

Abstract

Tomato, a globally significant crop, faces continuous threats from pests and pathogens, necessitating alternative approaches to reduce chemical inputs. Beneficial soil microbes, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), offer promising solutions by enhancing plant growth and pest tolerance. However, domestication may have weakened tomatoes’ interactions with these microbes, potentially compromising their innate immunity, a hypothesis that remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we examined the effects of AMF and PGPR inoculation on growth, herbivory resistance, and metabolic responses in the domesticated Solanum lycopersicum ‘Moneymaker’ and three wild tomato relatives. Our findings reveal that microbial inoculation significantly influences both domesticated and wild tomatoes, with PGPR generally enhancing and AMF reducing plant growth across species. Using targeted and untargeted metabolomics, we found that soil microbes substantially alter plant chemistry above- and belowground in a species-specific manner. Notably, herbivore responses were more affected by AMF presence than by tomato species. These results highlight that while domestication has profoundly shaped tomato traits, microbial interactions can modulate these phenotypes. Thus, selecting microbial strains best suited to modern cultivars is crucial for optimizing plant growth and resilience against pests.

Original language	English
Article number	47
Journal	Journal of Chemical Ecology
Volume	51
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-025-01598-y
Publication status	Published - 07 Apr 2025

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Cite this

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title = "Microbial Interactions Influence the Chemical Defense of Wild and Cultivated Tomato Species",

abstract = "Tomato, a globally significant crop, faces continuous threats from pests and pathogens, necessitating alternative approaches to reduce chemical inputs. Beneficial soil microbes, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), offer promising solutions by enhancing plant growth and pest tolerance. However, domestication may have weakened tomatoes{\textquoteright} interactions with these microbes, potentially compromising their innate immunity, a hypothesis that remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we examined the effects of AMF and PGPR inoculation on growth, herbivory resistance, and metabolic responses in the domesticated Solanum lycopersicum {\textquoteleft}Moneymaker{\textquoteright} and three wild tomato relatives. Our findings reveal that microbial inoculation significantly influences both domesticated and wild tomatoes, with PGPR generally enhancing and AMF reducing plant growth across species. Using targeted and untargeted metabolomics, we found that soil microbes substantially alter plant chemistry above- and belowground in a species-specific manner. Notably, herbivore responses were more affected by AMF presence than by tomato species. These results highlight that while domestication has profoundly shaped tomato traits, microbial interactions can modulate these phenotypes. Thus, selecting microbial strains best suited to modern cultivars is crucial for optimizing plant growth and resilience against pests.",

author = "Dimitri Orine and Haymanti Saha and Gaetan Glauser and Arjen Biere and Sergio Rasmann",

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doi = "10.1007/s10886-025-01598-y",

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AU - Orine, Dimitri

AU - Saha, Haymanti

AU - Glauser, Gaetan

AU - Biere, Arjen

AU - Rasmann, Sergio

N1 - Data archiving: no data

PY - 2025/4/7

Y1 - 2025/4/7

N2 - Tomato, a globally significant crop, faces continuous threats from pests and pathogens, necessitating alternative approaches to reduce chemical inputs. Beneficial soil microbes, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), offer promising solutions by enhancing plant growth and pest tolerance. However, domestication may have weakened tomatoes’ interactions with these microbes, potentially compromising their innate immunity, a hypothesis that remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we examined the effects of AMF and PGPR inoculation on growth, herbivory resistance, and metabolic responses in the domesticated Solanum lycopersicum ‘Moneymaker’ and three wild tomato relatives. Our findings reveal that microbial inoculation significantly influences both domesticated and wild tomatoes, with PGPR generally enhancing and AMF reducing plant growth across species. Using targeted and untargeted metabolomics, we found that soil microbes substantially alter plant chemistry above- and belowground in a species-specific manner. Notably, herbivore responses were more affected by AMF presence than by tomato species. These results highlight that while domestication has profoundly shaped tomato traits, microbial interactions can modulate these phenotypes. Thus, selecting microbial strains best suited to modern cultivars is crucial for optimizing plant growth and resilience against pests.

AB - Tomato, a globally significant crop, faces continuous threats from pests and pathogens, necessitating alternative approaches to reduce chemical inputs. Beneficial soil microbes, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), offer promising solutions by enhancing plant growth and pest tolerance. However, domestication may have weakened tomatoes’ interactions with these microbes, potentially compromising their innate immunity, a hypothesis that remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we examined the effects of AMF and PGPR inoculation on growth, herbivory resistance, and metabolic responses in the domesticated Solanum lycopersicum ‘Moneymaker’ and three wild tomato relatives. Our findings reveal that microbial inoculation significantly influences both domesticated and wild tomatoes, with PGPR generally enhancing and AMF reducing plant growth across species. Using targeted and untargeted metabolomics, we found that soil microbes substantially alter plant chemistry above- and belowground in a species-specific manner. Notably, herbivore responses were more affected by AMF presence than by tomato species. These results highlight that while domestication has profoundly shaped tomato traits, microbial interactions can modulate these phenotypes. Thus, selecting microbial strains best suited to modern cultivars is crucial for optimizing plant growth and resilience against pests.

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