The Compartment and Variety Effects Jointly Shape Pummelo Endophytic Mycobiota

Area of Science:

• Plant Pathology
• Microbiome Research
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• The plant microbiome is crucial for plant health, growth, and resistance.
• Factors influencing the assembly of plant microbiomes, particularly fungal endophytes, are not fully understood for many crops.
• Pummelo (Citrus maxima) is an important agricultural crop, yet its endophytic mycobiota remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To profile the endophytic mycobiota in leaves, roots, and rhizosphere soils of five pummelo varieties.
• To investigate the effects of plant variety and plant compartment on fungal community structure and diversity.
• To identify specific fungal taxa and their distribution patterns influenced by pummelo variety and plant part.

Main Methods:

• Amplicon sequencing of the fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region was employed.
• Samples included leaf endophytes, root endophytes, and rhizosphere soil from five distinct pummelo varieties.
• Bioinformatic analyses were used to assess fungal richness, diversity, and community composition.

Main Results:

• Fungal richness and diversity differed significantly among plant compartments (leaves, roots, soil) but not among pummelo varieties.
• The composition and structure of endophytic mycobiota varied significantly across all five pummelo varieties, indicating a variety effect.
• Plant variety had a stronger influence on leaf endophytic mycobiota than root endophytic mycobiota, with specific taxa like Fusarium and Zasmidium showing variety-specific dominance in leaves.

Conclusions:

• Both plant variety and plant compartment significantly and interactively shape the pummelo endophytic mycobiota.
• The compartment effect on fungal communities was stronger than the variety effect, but variety plays a significant role.
• Consistent alterations, such as the enrichment of Exophiala species in roots, were observed across varieties, suggesting potential targets for further research.