The Impact Of The Endophytic Bacterial Community On Mulberry Tree Growth In The Three Gorges Reservoir Ecosystem, China

Plant-associated microbes influence plant performance and may also impact biotic and abiotic stress tolerance. The microbiome of mulberry trees planted for ecological restoration in the hydro-fluctuation belt of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China, exhibited distinct patterns of localization. The endosphere exhibited lower alpha-diversity relative to the rhizosphere, but was more closely related to host growth status, especially in stem tissues.Pantoeawas the predominant bacterial genus inhabiting the stems of two well-growing plants, while sequences identified asPseudomonasandPantoeawere abundant in poorly growing plants. The complexity of the endophytic community was more connected to growth status in well-growing plants than it was in poorly growing plants. Among 151 endophytes cultured from collected samples of mulberry, 64 exhibited plant growth-promoting (PGP) potentialin vitroand the majority of beneficial taxa were harvested from well-growing plants. Collectively, the present study indicates that the recruitment of beneficial endophytes may contribute to mulberry fitness under abiotic stress, and it provides a foundation for the development of a new strategy in vegetation restoration.