The effects of chemical fungicides and salicylic acid on the apple microbiome and fungal disease incidence under changing environmental conditions

Autor: Michael S. McLaughlin, Svetlana N. Yurgel, Pervaiz A. Abbasi, Shawkat Ali
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol 15 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1664-302X
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1342407
Popis: Epiphytic and endophytic micro-organisms associated with plants form complex communities on or in their host plant. These communities influence physiological traits, development, and host susceptibility to abiotic and biotic stresses, and these communities are theorized to have evolved alongside their hosts, forming a unit of selection known as the holobiont. The microbiome is highly variable and can be influenced by abiotic factors, including applied exogenous agents. In this study, we compared the impact of chemical fungicide and salicylic acid treatments on the fungal communities of “Honeycrisp” apples at harvest over two consecutive growing years. We demonstrated variations in fungal community structure and composition by tissue type, growing season, and treatment regimes and that fungicide treatments were associated with reduced network complexity. Finally, we show that the inclusion of salicylic acid with 50% less chemical fungicides in an integrated spray program allowed a reduction in fungicide use while maintaining effective control of disease at harvest and following storage.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals