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Published on: May 28, 2019
Plants Dictate Root Microbial Composition in Hydroponics and Aquaponics
Victor Lobanov1, Karel J Keesman2, Alyssa Joyce1
1Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Plants actively select their root microbes in aquaponics, challenging the idea that upstream aquaculture solely dictates the hydroponic microbial community. This research highlights plant-driven rhizosphere selection in soilless systems.
Area of Science:
- Aquatic microbial ecology
- Plant-microbe interactions
- Sustainable agriculture
Background:
- Aquaponics integrates aquaculture and hydroponics, relying on microbial communities.
- The influence of aquaculture water on hydroponic root microbes is poorly understood.
- Rhizosphere microbial communities are crucial for plant health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how upstream aquaculture influences hydroponic root microbial communities.
- To determine the role of plants in selecting rhizosphere microbes in aquaponics.
- To compare microbial colonization under different aquaponic and hydroponic conditions.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA metabarcoding was used for taxonomic surveys.
- Microbial communities were analyzed from water source, hydroponic nutrient solution, biofilter effluent, and fish tanks.
- Lettuce was grown in hydroponic and aquaponic systems with varied microbial inoculation and sterilization treatments.
Main Results:
- Plant rhizosphere composition was more influenced by plant selection than by upstream microbial sources.
- Sterilized and unsterilized treatments clustered together, indicating plant control over microbial communities.
- Aquaponics and hydroponics treatments showed distinct microbial community groupings.
Conclusions:
- Plants play a significant role in selecting their rhizosphere microbes in soilless systems.
- Rhizosphere community assembly is not solely determined by the presence of microbes from the water column.
- Findings challenge conventional assumptions about microbial colonization in aquaponics.
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