Banana soil microbiome in disease suppressive soils
Soil microbiomes play a pivotal role in shaping plant health and their ability to suppress the pathogens. However, the specific microbial features that confer disease suppression in agricultural soils have remained unknown. Using a comprehensive soil survey focusing on suppressive, and inducive soils, we unravel the mechanistic roles of soil microbiomes conferring disease suppression in banana Panama disease. Through an initial field survey across twelve paired locations, we identified five fields with significantly lower pathogen abundances compared to their co-located counterparts. Subsequent greenhouse experiments validated the disease-suppressive nature of soils collected from Jianfeng (JF) and Lingao (LG), both exhibiting low pathogen densities. Presence of distinct bacterial genera, Brevundimonas, Flavisolibacter, Massilia, and Pseudomonas, emerged as key players in suppressing pathogen invasion. We, then, uncovered a vital link between these soil bacteria and plant health via a greenhouse experiment. The up-regulation of NRPS genes, responsible for antibiotic synthesis, played a central role in bolstering plant immunity, and the was responsible for over-representing of these gene in the rhizosphere of banana. These findings not only provide promising biocontrol strategies but also offer valuable insights into the dynamic relationship between soil microbiomes and plant physiology, paving the way for sustainable agriculture and disease management.