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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Frederick, Maryland » Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #396751
Research Project: Integrative Genomic and Biological Approaches to Detect and Manage Emerging Foreign Fungal Plant Pathogens

Location: Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research

Title: Boxwood phyllosphere fungal and bacterial communities and their differential responses to film-forming anti-desiccants

Author
item LI, XIAOPING - Virginia Tech
item OMOLEHIN, OLANIKE - Virginia Tech
item HEMMINGS, GINGER - North Carolina Department Of Agriculture & Consumer Services
item TSENG, HSIEN TZER - North Carolina Department Of Agriculture & Consumer Services
item TAYLOR, AMANDA - North Carolina Cooperative Extension
item TAYLOR, CHAD - North Carolina Department Of Agriculture & Consumer Services
item DAUGHTREY, MARGERY - Cornell University
item Luster, Douglas - Doug
item Gouker, Fred
item HONG, CHUANXUE - Virginia Tech

Submitted to: BMC Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/21/2023
Publication Date: 8/12/2023
Citation: Li, X., Omolehin, O., Hemmings, G., Tseng, H., Taylor, A., Taylor, C., Daughtrey, M., Luster, D.G., Gouker, F.E., Hong, C. 2023. Boxwood phyllosphere fungal and bacterial communities and their differential responses to film-forming anti-desiccants. BMC Microbiology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-023-02956-0.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-023-02956-0

Interpretive Summary: Antidesiccant application is a commonly used horticultural practice to protect crops from rapid temperature variations, heat and sunburn, frost and freeze damages, drought and water stresses, drying winds, and transplant shock. Recent studies have explored antidesiccant application for controlling plant fungal pathogens. However, the effects of antidesiccants on foliage microbial communities remain unclear. In this study, we applied three antidesiccant products to boxwood foliage at two research sites and collected shoot samples. Leaf bacterial and fungal communities were identified by DNA sequencing. Bacterial diversity was not influenced by antidesiccant application but did change with sampling time or location. Fungal diversity was affected by antidesiccant, sampling time and location, but the response was relatively weak. The relative abundance of microbial taxa varied most with sampling time after antidesiccant treatment. This study provides documentation that when applied by the recommended rate, antidesiccants are not harmful to phytobiome microorganisms, including those that may be beneficial to plant growth and fitness.

Technical Abstract: Antidesiccant application is a commonly used horticultural practice to protect crops from rapid temperature variations, heat and sunburn, frost and freeze damages, drought and water stresses, drying winds, and transplant shock. Recent studies have explored antidesiccant application for controlling plant fungal pathogens. However, the effects of antidesiccants on foliage microbial communities remain unclear. In this study, we applied three antidesiccant products, TransFilm, Vapor Gard, and Wilt-Pruf to boxwood foliage at two research sites on April 13 and August 26, 2021, and collected boxwood shoot samples on June 16, August 26 (before the second treatment), and October 18. Phyllosphere bacterial and fungal communities were identified using the Nanopore MinION sequencing platform. We found microbial a-diversity was not influenced by antidesiccant application, but did change with sampling time or location. Fungal ß-diversity was affected by antidesiccant, sampling time and location but the effect of antidesiccant was weak. The dominance of taxonomic memberships was consistent for bacteria and fungi, but the relative abundance of microbial taxa varied more with sampling time. Additionally, 33 fungal species were identified, including the most abundant Cladosporium spp. and Alternaria spp. This study provides documentation that when applied by the recommended rate, antidesiccants are not harmful to phytobiome microorganisms, including those that may be beneficial to plant growth and fitness.