Comparative Analysis of Rhizosphere Microbiomes in Different Blueberry Cultivars

Blueberry growth is closely tied to its rhizosphere’s microbial communities. Recent advancements in high-throughput sequencing and multi-omics technologies have enhanced the investigation of variations in rhizosphere microbial communities and their functional roles across different plant cultivars....

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Main Authors: Lifeng Xiao, Qiuyue Zhao, Jie Deng, Lingyan Cui, Tingting Zhang, Qin Yang, Sifeng Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Horticulturae
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/6/696
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Summary:Blueberry growth is closely tied to its rhizosphere’s microbial communities. Recent advancements in high-throughput sequencing and multi-omics technologies have enhanced the investigation of variations in rhizosphere microbial communities and their functional roles across different plant cultivars. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was utilized to assess the rhizosphere microbial diversity in highbush and rabbiteye blueberry groups, encompassing a total of eight cultivars. Notable variations were observed in both bacterial and fungal community diversity. Ten bacterial phyla, each with a relative abundance greater than 1%, constituted 92.32–97.08% of the total abundance across the eight cultivars, with <i>Acidobacteriota</i>, <i>Actinobacteriota</i>, and <i>Pseudomonadota</i> being predominant. Similarly, five major fungal phyla, each exceeding 1% in relative abundance, accounted for 88.18–97.20% of the total abundance, with <i>Ascomycota</i> and <i>Basidiomycota</i> being the most dominant. The results showed that the rhizospheres of blueberries host a variety of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), including genera such as <i>Burkholderia</i>, <i>Enterobacter</i>, <i>Streptomyces</i>, <i>Arthrobacter</i>, and <i>Pseudomonas</i>. Rabbiteye blueberry cultivars exhibit a greater propensity for accumulating beneficial symbiotic microorganisms compared to highbush cultivars. Notably, the relative abundance of ericoid mycorrhizal fungi, specifically <i>Oidiodendron</i>, is significantly elevated in the cultivars Emerald, Premier, O’Neal, and Brightwell, with the most pronounced increase observed in Emerald. Furthermore, rabbiteye blueberries support a more diverse and abundant array of cultivar-specific fungal communities than their highbush counterparts. Understanding the interaction networks between blueberries and their associated microbes can provide a theoretical foundation for the targeted regulation of rhizosphere microbiomes and offer valuable insights for the management of rhizospheres in other acidophilic crops.
ISSN:2311-7524