Role of Luteibacter pinisoli DP2-30 in Mitigating Pine Wilt Disease through Modulation of Host Microbiome
Pine wilt disease (PWD), caused by the pinewood nematode (PWN) Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, poses a significant threat to pine forests worldwide. This study aimed to isolate a potent bacterial biocontrol strain from rhizosphere of healthy Pinus massoniana and its biocontrol potential in mitigating PWD was elucidated through direct nematicidal activity and manipulation of host microbiome. Microbiome analyses demonstrated significant variations in the diversity, structure, and relative abundance of bacterial and fungal communities of DP2-30 treated pine plants (T2), untreated (T1), and control. Bacterial phyla such as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, Chloroflexi, and Acidobacteriota and fungal phyla including Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were dominant in all samples. The increased relative abundance of Gammaproteobacteria, particularly the family Rhodanobacteraceae, in treated plants suggests successful colonization by L. pinisoli DP2-30. Additionally, intra-kingdom co-occurrence network analysis showed reduced complexity in bacterial networks but increased complexity in fungal networks of treated plants, suggesting enhanced functional redundancy and ecosystem stability.