Identification and selection of synthetic communities of rhizobacteria from citrus plant roots.

Abstract

The benefits of the plant rhizosphere microbiome such as improved soil mineral uptake, modulation of plant growth, suppression of soil pathogens and increased resistance to stress (biotic and abiotic) have been validated for numerous plant species, but it is little known for perennial plants such as citrus. The production of citrus seedlings in nurseries, in the State of São Paulo, is carried out under protection against insect vectors and is based on well-defined rules, aiming at phytosanitary and genetic quality, including the use of substrate (coconut fiber or pine bark) for plant growth. Despite the excellent phytosanitary control, little is known about the diversity of beneficial microorganisms present in these plants. Successful examples of root microbiome reconstruction, resulting in increased plant development and resistance to pathogens, are growing in the literature. The main objective of this proposal is to characterize by 16S rRNA sequencing the microbial communities obtained from the citrus rhizosphere of plants growth at field, to define the synthetic communities (Ci_SynCom), and test them as growth inducers in this species.