Characterization of community structure of culturable endophytic fungi in sweet cherry composite trees and their growth-retarding effect against pathogens

The effect of plant compartment and geographical location on shaping microbiome of Pulsatilla chinensis

The plant-associated microbiome has an effect on plant growth. Pulsatilla chinensis (Bge.) Regel is an important Chinese medicinal plant. Currently, there is little understanding of the P. chinensis-associated microbiome and its diversity and composition. Here, the core microbiome associated with the root, leaf, and rhizospheric soil compartments of P. chinensis from five geographical locations was analyzed by the metagenomics approach. The alpha and beta diversity analysis showed that the microbiome associated with P. chinensis was shaped by the compartment, especially in the bacterial community. The geographical location had little influence on microbial community diversity associated with root and leaf. Hierarchical clustering distinguished the microbial communities of rhizospheric soil based on their geographical location and among the soil properties, pH was showed the more stronger effect on the diversity of rhizospheric soil microbial communities. Proteobacteria was the most dominant bacterial phylum in the root, leaf, and rhizospheric soil. Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the most dominant fungal phyla in different compartments. Rhizobacter, Anoxybacillus, and IMCC26256 were the most important marker bacterial species for root, leaf, and rhizospheric soil screened by random forest, respectively. The fungal marker species for root, leaf, and rhizospheric soil were not only different across the compartments but also the geographical locations. Functional analysis showed that P. chinensis-associated microbiome had the similar function which had no obvious relationship with geographical location and compartment. The associated microbiome indicated in this study can be used for identifying microorganisms related to the quality and growth of P. chinensis. KEY POINTS: • Microbiome associated with P. chinensis was shaped by the compartment • Microbiome composition and abundance associated with rhizospheric soil were affected by the geographical location • Compared with fungi, bacterial associated with P. chinensis composition and diversity were more stable in different geographical locations and compartments.

Diversity of Endophytic Fungi in Annual Shoots of Prunus mandshurica (Rosaceae) in the South of Amur Region, Russia

Prunus mandshurica is a rare species of the Russian Far East; it is cultivated for fruits and as an ornamental tree. The objective was to determine the fungi associated with young shoots of the Manchurian apricot, which is an important biotic factor for plant viability and productivity. Fungi were isolated by incubation of shoot fragments (unsterilized or surface-sterilized) on a growth medium and identified according to their cultural and morphological characteristics. Diaporthe eres and Nothophoma quercina isolates were identified by multilocus phylogenetic analysis (apn2, cal, tef1-α, tub2 for D. eres, and ITS, rpb2, tub2 for N. quercina). In total, 12 species (Alternaria alternata, A. tenuissima, Aureobasidium pullulans, Cladosporium cladosporioides, C. herbarum, D. eres, Epicoccum nigrum, Fusarium graminearum, F. oxysporum, N. quercina, Sarocladium strictum, and Tripospermum myrti) and one genus (Gliocladium sp.) were found. Alternaria alternata, N. quercina, and D. eres were the most frequent species of the shoots. Alternaria tenuissima and F. oxysporum were also frequent in some collections, while all other species were rare or occasional in occurrence. Molecular analysis of D. eres and N. quercina revealed redundancy of some species within the D. eres species complex and the genus Nothophoma. This is the first report on the fungal inhabitants of asymptomatic shoots of P. mandshurica. Nothophoma quercina was identified in Russia for the first time.