Abstract Detail

Symbioses: Plant, Animal, and Microbe Interactions

Swift, Joel [1], Migicovsky, Zoë [2], Trello, Grace [1], Miller, Allison [3].

Grafted grapevine microbiota varies across space, time, and scion/rootstock combinations.

Plants are divided into multiple compartments (such as berries, leaves, and roots) that host distinct microbiota. As the plant matures over the course of a growing season, the microbiota across the compartments change. The extent to which the microbiota of plant compartments vary with plant development, and from one season to the next, is under explored in perennial plants. Commercial grapevines are long-lived, woody perennials typically composed of genetically distinct root system (rootstock) and shoot system (scion) genotypes that have been fused through the process of grafting. We sought to explore the seasonal and biogeographical patterning of microbiota of grapevine compartments across space and time by surveying three commercial vineyards in the Central Valley of California over two successive growing seasons. The microbiota of the compartments were profiled via 16S rRNA metabarcoding. We found significant differences in diversity and richness between grapevine compartments with additional patterning by year, site, and the interaction of rootstock and scion genotype. Community composition revealed compartment-specific dynamics: microbiota of the berries and leaves showed subtle impacts of collection year and development while the microbiota of the roots exhibited much stronger impacts from collection site and rootstock genotype. Bacterial communities were stable across the growing season for all compartments, partially reinforcing the concept of a microbial terroir. We observed site-specific communities in root tissue, but not berries and leaves, indicating that compartment specific dynamics dominate at this intra-regional scale.

1 - Saint Louis University, Department of Biology, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA
2 - Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University, 62 Cumming Dr, Truro, NS, Canada
3 - Saint Louis Univ./Danforth Plant Science Center, Biology, 3507 Laclede Avenue, Macelwane Hall, St. Louis, MO, 63110, United States

Keywords:
Grapevine
Microbiome
Microbiota
Grafting
Rootstock
Scion.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: SYM2001
Abstract ID:757
Candidate for Awards:None