Societal impact statement This investigation addresses the diversity of microbial endosymbionts in cranberry, which are among the least understood and ill‐defined ericoid symbionts. There is excellent potential for Ericaceous plants, such as cranberry and blueberry, to be farmed more sustainably once the properties and functioning of their associated microbiomes are known in more detail. Here, we demonstrate that some bacterial and fungal endosymbionts of cranberry stimulate plant growth and suppress fungal pathogens. They have the potential for field applications as a first step toward sustainable cranberry farming. Summary Virtually, all vascular plants harbor bacterial and fungal endosymbionts, which colonize predominantly but not exclusively, roots. Most common among fungal partners are arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF; Glomeromycotina) that live within plant roots and provide soil nutrients to the plant while receiving from the plant organic carbon sources. Ericaceae are an exception as they do not host AMF but rather the taxonomically ill‐defined “ericoid mycorrhizal fungi,” including select ascomycete and basidiomycete species. Because the diversity of endosymbionts in Ericaceae is poorly investigated, we set out to explore the microbiome of Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton (cranberry). Here, we report the isolation and ribotyping of ~180 distinct bacterial and fungal endophytes collected from roots, stems, and leaves of cranberry plants cultivated in Quebec, Canada. Plant growth promotion was assessed after inoculating plant cuttings with these microbes, whereas pathogen suppression was tested on agar plates by growth confrontation. We show that the cranberry microbiome varies substantially between tissues, cultivars, and across fields of the same farm. Among the isolates, 16 bacterial and 8 fungal strains exhibit biofertilization or biocontrol properties with potential application in sustainable cranberry farming. We propose to move towards a more rigorous, molecular‐based definition of ericoid mycorrhiza, accounting for their broad evolutionary and morphological diversity.

Ericaceae thrive in poor soil, which we postulate is facilitated by microbes living inside those plants. Here, we investigate the growth stimulation of the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) by one of its fungal endosymbionts, EC4. We show that the symbiont resides inside the epidermal root cells of the host but extends into the rhizosphere via its hyphae. Morphological classification of this fungus is ambiguous, but phylogenetic inference based on 28S rRNA identifies EC4 as a Codinaeella species (Chaetosphaeriaceae, Sordariomycetes, Ascomycetes). We sequenced the genome and transcriptome of EC4, providing the first ‘Omics’ information of a Chaetosphaeriaceae fungus. The 55.3-Mbp nuclear genome contains 17,582 potential protein-coding genes, of which nearly 500 have the capacity to promote plant growth. For comparing gene sets involved in biofertilization, we annotated the published genome assembly of the plant-growth-promoting Trichoderma hamatum. The number of proteins involved in phosphate transport and solubilization is similar in the two fungi. In contrast, EC4 has ~50% more genes associated with ammonium, nitrate/nitrite transport, and phytohormone synthesis. The expression of 36 presumed plant-growth-promoting EC4 genes is stimulated when the fungus is in contact with the plant. Thus, Omics and in-plantae tests make EC4 a promising candidate for cranberry biofertilization on nutrient-poor soils.

The present study was carried out to ascertain the genetic status of soybean and maize crops introduced in Algeria and to test local and imported products containing maize and soybean for the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMO into the food and feed chain). Samples from crops and processed food products were selected, randomly sampled and screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the presence of the 35S cauliflower mosaic virus promoter (P35S CaMV) and the Agrobacterium tumefaciens nopaline synthase (nos) terminator, commonly found in transgene cassettes. Results showed that GMOs were absent in all crop samples, but present in 29 food and feed samples. These analyses are discussed for the efficiency of the Algerian regulation and the absence of labelling and traceability mechanisms within the country.