Belowground responses of bacterial communities to foliar SA application over four plant generations

TY - JOUR

T1 - Belowground responses of bacterial communities to foliar SA application over four plant generations

AU - Zhang, Jing

AU - Klinkhamer, Peter G.L.

AU - Vrieling, Klaas

AU - Martijn Bezemer, T.

N1 - 7307, TE

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Background and aims: Jacobaea vulgaris plants grow better in sterilized than in live soil. Foliar application of SA mitigates this negative effect of live soil on plant growth. To examine what causes the positive effect of SA application on plant growth in live soils, we analyzed the effects of SA application on the composition of active rhizosphere bacteria in the soil. Methods: We studied the composition of the microbial community over four consecutive plant cycles (generations), using mRNA sequencing of the microbial communities in the rhizosphere of J. vulgaris. We initiated the experiment with an inoculum of live soil collected from the field, and at the start of each subsequent plant cycle, we inoculated a small part of the soil from the previous plant cycle into sterile bulk soil. Results: Application of SA did not significantly increase or decrease the Shannon diversity at genus level within each generation, but several specific genera were enriched or depleted after foliar SA application. The composition of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere significantly differed between plant cycles (generations), but application of SA did not alter this pattern. In the first generation no genera were significantly affected by the SA treatment, but in the second, third and fourth generations, specific genera were significantly affected. 89 species out of the total 270 (32.4%) were present as the “core” microbiome in all treatments over four plant cycles. Conclusions: Overall, our study shows that the composition of bacterial genera in the rhizosphere significantly differed between plant cycles, but that it was not strongly affected by foliar application of SA on J. vulgaris leaves. Further studies should examine how activation of the SA signaling pathway in the plant changes the functional genes of the rhizosphere bacterial community.

AB - Background and aims: Jacobaea vulgaris plants grow better in sterilized than in live soil. Foliar application of SA mitigates this negative effect of live soil on plant growth. To examine what causes the positive effect of SA application on plant growth in live soils, we analyzed the effects of SA application on the composition of active rhizosphere bacteria in the soil. Methods: We studied the composition of the microbial community over four consecutive plant cycles (generations), using mRNA sequencing of the microbial communities in the rhizosphere of J. vulgaris. We initiated the experiment with an inoculum of live soil collected from the field, and at the start of each subsequent plant cycle, we inoculated a small part of the soil from the previous plant cycle into sterile bulk soil. Results: Application of SA did not significantly increase or decrease the Shannon diversity at genus level within each generation, but several specific genera were enriched or depleted after foliar SA application. The composition of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere significantly differed between plant cycles (generations), but application of SA did not alter this pattern. In the first generation no genera were significantly affected by the SA treatment, but in the second, third and fourth generations, specific genera were significantly affected. 89 species out of the total 270 (32.4%) were present as the “core” microbiome in all treatments over four plant cycles. Conclusions: Overall, our study shows that the composition of bacterial genera in the rhizosphere significantly differed between plant cycles, but that it was not strongly affected by foliar application of SA on J. vulgaris leaves. Further studies should examine how activation of the SA signaling pathway in the plant changes the functional genes of the rhizosphere bacterial community.

KW - Metatranscriptomics

KW - Rhizosphere bacterial community

KW - Salicylic acid

KW - Soil microbial community

KW - Taxonomy

KW - national

KW - Plan_S-Compliant-OA

U2 - 10.1007/s11104-021-05158-7

DO - 10.1007/s11104-021-05158-7

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85115715856

SN - 0032-079X

VL - 470

SP - 65

EP - 79

JO - Plant and Soil

JF - Plant and Soil

IS - 1-2

ER -