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Terroir is a key driver of seed-associated microbial assemblages
Stephanie Klaedtke1, Marie-Agnès Jacques2, Lorenzo Raggi3
1UR980, INRA SAD, 65 Rue de St. Brieuc, CS 84215, 35042, Rennes, France.
Environmental Microbiology
|July 15, 2015
Summary
The farm location, or terroir, significantly shapes the seed
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Plant Science
- Agricultural Science
Background:
- Seeds harbor diverse microbial communities influencing plant health.
- Understanding seed microbiota composition and drivers is crucial.
- Ecological processes shaping seed-associated microbes remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of host genotype and terroir on seed microbiota structure.
- To identify the key ecological factors driving seed microbial assemblage.
- To analyze bacterial and fungal diversity in relation to agricultural environments.
Main Methods:
- Metabarcoding analysis of seed-associated microbial communities.
- Comparison of microbial diversity across different bean cultivars and farm sites.
- Statistical analysis to determine the influence of host genotype and terroir.
Main Results:
- Few microbial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were shared across all seed samples.
- Farm site significantly influenced bacterial (12.2%) and fungal (39.7%) diversity.
- Host genotype did not explain variance in microbial assemblage structure.
- Specific OTUs were enriched at distinct farm locations, altering co-occurrence patterns.
Conclusions:
- Seed-associated microbial assemblage is primarily shaped by niche-based selection.
- Terroir acts as a key driver of selective forces on seed microbiota.
- Environmental factors of the farm site are more influential than host genotype in structuring seed microbial communities.
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