Bacillus species are core microbiota of resistant maize cultivars that induce host metabolic defense against corn stalk rot
Xinyao Xia,
Qiuhe Wei,
Hanxiang Wu,
Xinyu Chen,
Chunxia Xiao,
Yiping Ye,
Chaotian Liu,
Haiyue Yu,
Yuanwen Guo,
Wenxian Sun,
Wende Liu
Affiliations
Xinyao Xia
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Qiuhe Wei
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Hanxiang Wu
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Xinyu Chen
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Chunxia Xiao
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Yiping Ye
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Chaotian Liu
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Haiyue Yu
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Yuanwen Guo
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Wenxian Sun
Department of Plant Pathology, Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Pest Monitoring and Green Management and Joint International Research Laboratory of Crop Molecular Breeding, Ministry of Education, China Agricultural University
Wende Liu
State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management in Crops, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract Background Microbes colonizing each compartment of terrestrial plants are indispensable for maintaining crop health. Although corn stalk rot (CSR) is a severe disease affecting maize (Zea mays) worldwide, the mechanisms underlying host–microbe interactions across vertical compartments in maize plants, which exhibit heterogeneous CSR-resistance, remain largely uncharacterized. Results Here, we investigated the microbial communities associated with CSR-resistant and CSR-susceptible maize cultivars using multi-omics analysis coupled with experimental verification. Maize cultivars resistant to CSR reshaped the microbiota and recruited Bacillus species with three phenotypes against Fusarium graminearum including niche pre-emption, potential secretion of antimicrobial compounds, and no inhibition to alleviate pathogen stress. By inducing the expression of Tyrosine decarboxylase 1 (TYDC1), encoding an enzyme that catalyzes the production of tyramine and dopamine, Bacillus isolates that do not directly suppress pathogen infection induced the synthesis of berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid that inhibits pathogen growth. These beneficial bacteria were recruited from the rhizosphere and transferred to the stems but not grains of the CSR-resistant plants. Conclusions The current study offers insight into how maize plants respond to and interact with their microbiome and lays the foundation for preventing and treating soil-borne pathogens. Video Abstract