Tea Plants With Gray Blight Have Altered Root Exudates That Recruit a Beneficial Rhizosphere Microbiome to Prime Immunity Against Aboveground Pathogen Infection

Abstract

Tea gray blight disease and its existing control measures have had a negative impact on the sustainable development of tea gardens. However, our knowledge of safe and effective biological control measures is limited. It is critical to explore beneficial microbial communities in the tea rhizosphere for the control of tea gray blight. In this study, we prepared conditioned soil by inoculating Pseudopestalotiopsis camelliae-sinensis on tea seedling leaves. Thereafter, we examined the growth performance and disease resistance of fresh tea seedlings grown in conditioned and control soils. Next, the rhizosphere microbial community and root exudates of tea seedlings infected by the pathogen were analyzed. In addition, we also evaluated the effects of the rhizosphere microbial community and root exudates induced by pathogens on the performance of tea seedlings. The results showed that tea seedlings grown in conditioned soil had lower disease index values and higher growth vigor. Soil microbiome analysis revealed that the fungal and bacterial communities of the rhizosphere were altered upon infection with Ps. camelliae-sinensis. Genus-level analysis showed that the abundance of the fungi Trichoderma, Penicillium, and Gliocladiopsis and the bacteria Pseudomonas, Streptomyces, Bacillus, and Burkholderia were significantly (p < 0.05) increased in the conditioned soil. Through isolation, culture, and inoculation tests, we found that most isolates from the induced microbial genera could inhibit the infection of tea gray blight pathogen and promote tea seedling growth. The results of root exudate analysis showed that infected tea seedlings exhibited significantly higher exudate levels of phenolic acids and flavonoids and lower exudate levels of amino acids and organic acids. Exogenously applied phenolic acids and flavonoids suppressed gray blight disease by regulating the rhizosphere microbial community. In summary, our findings suggest that tea plants with gray blight can recruit beneficial rhizosphere microorganisms by altering their root exudates, thereby improving the disease resistance of tea plants growing in the same soil.

Changes in soil fungal communities after onset of wheat yellow mosaic virus disease

“…For example, Neorhizobium galegae , Lysobacter dokdonensis , and Ensifer adhaerens can prey on bacteria and can be used to control Tobacco bacterial wilt (W. Ahmed et al, 2022 ); P. camelliae-sinensis infection can be used to prevent and treat tea gray blight disease (Q. Wang et al, 2021 ). Our studies identified dominant fungal communities in healthy and diseased plant soils respectively, and we suggest that core communities in healthy plant soils help promote WYM resistance.…”

Effects of Lightning on Rhizosphere Soil Properties, Bacterial Communities, and Active Components of Camellia sinensis var. assamica

“…The diversity of soil microorganisms is closely related to plant growth, stress tolerance, and health (Ishaq, 2017 ; Bziuk et al, 2021 ; Fadiji et al, 2021 ). An increase in soil bacterial diversity may help Pu-erh tea to better cope with a changing environment, diseases, and pests and may increase biomass or quality (Wang et al, 2021 ; Yang et al, 2021 ). In addition, Sphingomonas, Nitrospira , and Reyranella were significantly enriched in soil samples near the lightning rod relative to soil samples far from the lightning rod.…”

“…In addition, Sphingomonas, Nitrospira , and Reyranella were significantly enriched in soil samples near the lightning rod relative to soil samples far from the lightning rod. Sphingomonas has been widely reported to play an important role in ecological restoration and plant growth promotion (Wang et al, 2021 ). As an aerobic chemolithoautotrophic nitrite-oxidizing bacterium, Nitrospira plays an important role in nitrification (Daims and Wagner, 2018 ).…”

Congruent downy mildew-associated microbiomes reduce plant disease and function as transferable resistobiomes

“…Plants sown and grown on a soil previously occupied by Hpa -infected plants were more resistant to Hpa than plants grown on soil conditioned by uninfected plants 13 . Infections by other leaf pathogens such as the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae 14,15 , the fungus Pseudopestalotiopsis camelliae-sinensis 16 , or the root-feeding insect herbivore Delia radicum 17 were later also shown to result in a beneficial microbial community in the soil that can persist and protect a subsequent population of plants. Thus, plants dynamically steer their microbiota upon pathogen attack to create a persistent protective soil microbiome, called a soil-borne legacy (SBL) 18,19 .…”