Keystone taxa of phyllosphere microbiome confer resistance to citrus bacterial canker in pomelo via multiple mechanisms.
Yuan W, Feng Z, Zhang W, Liu Y, Zhou Y
Microbiome
The citrus trees at your local farmers market or in your backyard could one day be protected from devastating canker disease by a spray of beneficial bacteria rather than chemical pesticides.
Every plant leaf hosts a community of tiny microbes, and some of those microbes turn out to be especially important — like keystone species in an ecosystem. Scientists identified six such "keystone" bacteria living on pomelo (a large citrus fruit) leaves and showed that applying them together cut a serious citrus disease by nearly 80%. These helpful bacteria work in three ways: they keep the leaf microbe community balanced and resilient, they wake up the plant's own immune system, and some directly fight off the disease-causing bacteria.
Key Findings
A consortium of six keystone bacterial strains reduced citrus bacterial canker disease index by 78% in living plants.
Keystone strain inoculation significantly increased activities of defense enzymes (PPO, POD, and PAL) in leaves, indicating a triggered plant immune response.
Amino acids in leaves were identified as the main drivers of phyllosphere bacterial community structure across an annual cycle, with five keystone OTUs identified from 587 isolated strains.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Researchers discovered that specific beneficial bacteria living on pomelo leaves can protect citrus trees from bacterial canker disease, reducing infection rates by 78%. These "keystone" microbes work through multiple strategies: stabilizing the leaf microbiome, boosting the tree's own immune defenses, and directly attacking the pathogen.
Abstract Preview
Citrus bacterial canker (CBC) is a globally important citrus disease caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc). Increasing evidence shows that the plant microbiome is crucial for host growth p...
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The pomelo, also known as a shaddock, is the largest citrus fruit. It is an ancestor of several cultivated citrus species, including the bitter orange and the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is comm...