Bacterial Communities of Lamiacea L. Medicinal Plants: Structural Features and Rhizosphere Effect

Ekaterina K Zharkova; Anna A Vankova; Olga V Selitskaya; Elena L Malankina; Natalya V Drenova; Alena D Zhelezova; Vitaliy K Khlyustov; Sergey L Belopukhov; Aleksey V Zhevnerov; Ludmila A Sviridova; Tatiana N Fomina; Andrey V Kozlov

doi:10.3390/microorganisms11010197

Bacterial Communities of Lamiacea L. Medicinal Plants: Structural Features and Rhizosphere Effect

Microorganisms. 2023 Jan 12;11(1):197. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11010197.

Affiliations

¹ Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, Moscow 127434, Russia.
² All-Russian Plant Quarantine Center, Pogranichnaya St. 32, Bykovo, Ramensky District, Moscow 140150, Russia.
³ V.V. Dokuchaev Soil Science Institute, Pyzhyovskiy Lane 7, Building 2, Moscow 119017, Russia.

Abstract

Bacterial communities associated with medicinal plants are an essential part of ecosystems. The rhizosphere effect is rather important in the cultivation process. The purpose of the study was to analyze the rhizosphere effect of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), peppermint (Mentha piperita L.), thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), creeping thyme (Thymus serpillum L.) and sage (Salvia officinalis L.). To estimate the quantity of 16S bacteria ribosomal genes, qPCR assays were used. To compare bacterial communities' structure of medicinal plants rhizosphere with bulk soil high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA targeting variable regions V3-V4 of bacteria was carried out. The highest bacterial abundance was associated with T. vulgaris L., M. piperita L. and S. officinalis L., and the lowest was associated with the O. vulgare L. rhizosphere. Phylum Actinobacteriota was predominant in all rhizosphere samples. The maximum bacterial α-diversity was found in S. officinalis L. rhizosphere. According to bacterial β-diversity calculated by the Bray-Curtis metric, T. vulgaris L. root zone significantly differed from bulk soil. The rhizosphere effect was positive to the Myxococcota, Bacteroidota, Verrucomicrobiota, Proteobacteria and Gemmatimonadota.

Keywords: Lamiacea L.; bacterial communities; bacterial diversity; ecological functions; medicinal plants; rhizosphere; structural features.

Grants and funding

The research was conducted using the equipment of the educational and methodological center Service Laboratory of Complex analysis of Chemical Compounds of the Russian State Agrarian University-Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy.