Random mechanisms govern bacterial succession in bioinoculated beet plants

Plant colonization by microbes is an example of succession, with its distinct phases differing in community structure and diversity. This process needs to be studied to improve bioinoculation strategies. Here, we show that, regardless of bioinoculation, soil type and plant genotype, bacteria colonize the rhizosphere and tissues of axenic beets in two phases associated with taproot development. Communities remained stable after five weeks of growth in soil. Time, soil type and genotype determined community structure both in the rhizosphere and in the endosphere. Inoculation changed the community structure, and members of Pseudomonadota and Bacillota were recruited by beets. Axenic beet colonization runs through phases similar to colonization of a glacier forefront, and bacteria are recruited mostly randomly. The transition from the early to late phase involves a decrease in the bacterial load in plant tissues, which may be linked to plant growth and the arrest of bacterial cell division. Therefore, early inoculation seems to be favourable. Five weeks of growth in soil enabled formation of stable bacterial communities in both the rhizosphere and the endosphere. The influence of inoculation seems to be indirect, probably due to microbe-microbe interactions.