Simulated microgravity weakens wheat root microbial network against pathogens.
Cui J, Chen Z, Yan S, Zhao L, Degermendzhi AG
Soil Health
Knowing which root bacteria keep wheat resilient under stress could help growers build healthier soil microbiomes that buffer crops against fungal disease — whether in a backyard bed or a commercial field.
Plants aren't alone — their roots are home to thousands of bacteria and fungi that form a kind of protective social network. This study found that in space-like conditions (low gravity), that network falls apart when a harmful fungus attacks, leaving wheat seedlings more exposed. Certain bacteria, especially one called Paenibacillus, seem to act like keystone members holding the whole community together.
Key Findings
Simulated microgravity caused fungal infection to disrupt bacterial-bacterial and bacterial-fungal root networks more severely than the same infection under normal gravity.
Bacterial network stability — not fungal network stability — was the strongest predictor of plant growth performance, including hormone levels like jasmonic acid and cytokinins.
Random forest modeling identified Paenibacillus and Microbacteriaceae-related bacteria as the key taxa predicting network stability under these conditions.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Wheat plants grown in simulated microgravity have weaker protective microbial communities in their roots, making them more vulnerable to fungal infection than plants grown under normal gravity. Specific soil bacteria — particularly Paenibacillus — appear to be key to maintaining that protective network.
Abstract Preview
Fungal pathogens are well-recognized biotic stressors for plants under terrestrial gravity and also pose risks to space crop production, but their effects on root-associated microbial networks unde...
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