Tomato domestication rather than subsequent breeding events reduces microbial associations related to phosphorus recovery

Abstract

Legacy phosphorus (P) is a reservoir of sparingly available P, and its recovery could enhance sustainable use of nonrenewable mineral fertilizers. Domestication has affected P acquisition, but it is unknown if subsequent breeding efforts, like the Green Revolution (GR), had a similar effect. We examined how domestication and breeding events altered P acquisition by growing wild, traditional (pre-GR), and modern (post-GR) tomato in soil with legacy P but low bioavailable P. Wild tomatoes, particularly accession LA0716 (Solanum pennellii), heavily cultured rhizosphere P solubilizers, suggesting reliance on microbial associations to acquire P. Wild tomato also had a greater abundance of other putatively beneficial bacteria, including those that produce chelating agents and antibiotic compounds. Although wild tomatoes had a high abundance of these P solubilizers, they had lower relative biomass and greater P stress factor than traditional or modern tomato. Compared to wild tomato, domesticated tomato was more tolerant to P deficiency, and both cultivated groups had a similar rhizosphere bacterial community composition. Ultimately, this study suggests that while domestication changed tomato P recovery by reducing microbial associations, subsequent breeding processes have not further impacted microbial P acquisition mechanisms. Selecting microbial P-related traits that diminished with domestication may therefore increase legacy P solubilization.