Correlation of microbiomes in "plant-insect-soil" ecosystem

Guomeng Li; Peng Liu; Jihan Zhao; Liangyinan Su; Mengyu Zhao; Zhengjie Jiang; Yang Zhao; Xiping Yang

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1088532

Correlation of microbiomes in "plant-insect-soil" ecosystem

Front Microbiol. 2023 Jan 30:14:1088532. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1088532. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Guomeng Li^{1

2}, Peng Liu^{1

2}, Jihan Zhao^{1

2}, Liangyinan Su^{1

2}, Mengyu Zhao^{1

2}, Zhengjie Jiang^{1

2}, Yang Zhao^{1

2}, Xiping Yang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
² Key Laboratory of Crop Cultivation and Tillage, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.

Abstract

Introduction: Traditional chemical control methods pose a damaging effect on farmland ecology, and their long-term use has led to the development of pest resistance.

Methods: Here, we analyzed the correlations and differences in the microbiome present in the plant and soil of sugarcane cultivars exhibiting different insect resistance to investigate the role played by microbiome in crop insect resistance. We evaluated the microbiome of stems, topsoil, rhizosphere soil, and striped borers obtained from infested stems, as well as soil chemical parameters.

Results and discussion: Results showed that microbiome diversity was higher in stems of insect-resistant plants, and contrast, lower in the soil of resistant plants, with fungi being more pronounced than bacteria. The microbiome in plant stems was almost entirely derived from the soil. The microbiome of insect-susceptible plants and surrounding soil tended to change towards that of insect-resistant plants after insect damage. Insects' microbiome was mainly derived from plant stems and partly from the soil. Available potassium showed an extremely significant correlation with soil microbiome. This study validated the role played by the microbiome ecology of plant-soil-insect system in insect resistance and provided a pre-theoretical basis for crop resistance control.

Keywords: microbiome; resistance; soil; striped borer; sugarcane stem.