AUTHOR=Liu Zhaosha , Xiao Jiawen , Zhang Xuechao , Dou Shijuan , Gao Tongguo , Wang Dongmei , Zhang Dongdong 

TITLE=Influence of Bacillus subtilis strain Z-14 on microbial communities of wheat rhizospheric soil infested with Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=13

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.923242

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.923242

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p>Wheat take-all disease caused by <italic>Gaeumannomyces graminis</italic> var. <italic>tritici</italic> (<italic>Ggt</italic>) spreads rapidly and is highly destructive, causing severe reductions in wheat yield. <italic>Bacillus subtilis</italic> strain Z-14 that significantly controlled wheat take-all disease effectively colonized the roots of wheat seedlings. Z-14 increased the metabolic activity and carbon source utilization of rhizospheric microorganisms, thus elevating average well-color development (AWCD) values and functional diversity indexes of soil microbial communities. Z-14 increased the abundance of <italic>Bacillus</italic> in the rhizosphere, which was positively correlated with AWCD and functional diversity indexes. The Z-14-treated samples acquired more linkages and relative connections between bacterial communities according to co-occurrence network analyses. After the application of <italic>Ggt</italic>, the number of linkages between fungal communities increased but later decreased, whereas Z-14 increased such interactions. Whole-genome sequencing uncovered 113 functional genes related to Z-14’s colonization ability and 10 secondary metabolite gene clusters in the strain, of which nine substances have antimicrobial activity. This study clarifies how bacterial agents like Z-14 act against phytopathogenic fungi and lays a foundation for the effective application of biocontrol agents.</p>