Summary
This study examined how tomato domestication and soil type jointly shape the rhizosphere microbiome by comparing wild Solanum chilense, traditional landraces, cherry tomatoes, and modern cultivars grown in natural versus agricultural soils. Whilst soil type dominated overall microbial diversity patterns, plant genotype influenced recruitment of specific microbial taxa, with domestication associated with loss of particular ecological functions. The findings suggest that breeding strategies incorporating genetic diversity could restore beneficial plant–microbe interactions compromised during domestication.
Regional applicability
The study was conducted in Chile and may have limited direct applicability to United Kingdom growing conditions, which differ in climate, soil types, and management practices. However, the findings regarding genotype-mediated microbiome assembly and functional losses during domestication are likely relevant to UK horticulture; similar approaches could inform breeding and soil management strategies for tomato production in cooler temperate systems.
Key measures
16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (bacteria); ITS2 amplicon sequencing (fungi); phylogenetic diversity; co-occurrence network analysis; functional profiling
Outcomes reported
The study characterised rhizospheric bacterial and fungal communities across four Solanum genotypes (wild, landrace, cherry, and modern cultivar) grown in natural and agricultural soils using 16S rRNA and ITS2 amplicon sequencing. It identified soil type as the primary driver of overall microbial diversity, whilst genotype fine-tuned recruitment of specific taxa, and revealed loss of microbial functions associated with domestication.
Topic tags
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