Endophytic Microbiome Responses to Sulfur Availability in <i>Beta</i> <i>vulgaris</i> (L.)

oleh: Giovanni Bertoldo, Maria Cristina Della Lucia, Andrea Squartini, Giuseppe Concheri, Chiara Broccanello, Alessandro Romano, Samathmika Ravi, Massimo Cagnin, Andrea Baglieri, Piergiorgio Stevanato

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-07-01

Deskripsi

Sulfur is an essential plant macronutrient, and its adequate supply allows an efficient root storage and sugar extractability in sugar beets (<i>Beta</i> <i>vulgaris</i> L.). In this study, we investigated the effect of changes in sulfur availability on the endophytic community structure of sugar beets. Plants were hydroponically grown in a complete nutrient solution (S-supplied), a nutrient solution without MgSO<sub>4</sub> (S-deprived), and a nutrient solution without MgSO<sub>4</sub> for six days and resupplied with 100 μM MgSO<sub>4</sub> for 48 h (S-resupplied). The sulfur status was monitored by inductively coupled plasma ICP–OES, and combustion analysis together with the evaluation of microRNA395 as a biomarker for sulfate status. Metabarcoding of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was carried out in order to determine leaf endophytic community structure. The Shannon diversity index significantly differed (<i>p</i> < 0.05) between sulfate-supplied and sulfate-deprived seedlings. Validation by Real-Time PCR showed a significant increase (<i>p</i> < 0.05) of <i>Burkholderia</i> spp. in sulfate-deprived plants as compared to sulfate-supplied ones. The study sheds new light on the effects of nutrient deficiency on the microbiome of sugar beet plants.