Microbial Community Analysis Offers Insight into the Complex Origins of Plant Disease in a Smallholder Farm Context

Classical approaches to plant disease diagnosis assume a single pathogen/single disease paradigm. Here, we revisit the presumed role of Fusarium oxysporum as the causal agent of wilting and yellowing of chickpea plants on smallholder farms in Ethiopia. Contrary to expectations, detection of Fusarium...

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Main Authors: Betsy A. Alford, Dagnachew Bekele, Sultan M. Yimer, Amna Fayyaz, Noelia Carrasquilla-Garcia, Peter L. Chang, Calen Badger, Anandkumar Surendrarao, Eric J. B. von Wettberg, M. Farooq H. Munis, Kassahun Tesfaye, Asnake Fikre, Douglas R. Cook
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The American Phytopathological Society 2024-11-01
Series:Phytobiomes Journal
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Online Access:https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PBIOMES-02-24-0023-R
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author Betsy A. Alford
Dagnachew Bekele
Sultan M. Yimer
Amna Fayyaz
Noelia Carrasquilla-Garcia
Peter L. Chang
Calen Badger
Anandkumar Surendrarao
Eric J. B. von Wettberg
M. Farooq H. Munis
Kassahun Tesfaye
Asnake Fikre
Douglas R. Cook
author_facet Betsy A. Alford
Dagnachew Bekele
Sultan M. Yimer
Amna Fayyaz
Noelia Carrasquilla-Garcia
Peter L. Chang
Calen Badger
Anandkumar Surendrarao
Eric J. B. von Wettberg
M. Farooq H. Munis
Kassahun Tesfaye
Asnake Fikre
Douglas R. Cook
author_sort Betsy A. Alford
collection DOAJ
description Classical approaches to plant disease diagnosis assume a single pathogen/single disease paradigm. Here, we revisit the presumed role of Fusarium oxysporum as the causal agent of wilting and yellowing of chickpea plants on smallholder farms in Ethiopia. Contrary to expectations, detection of Fusarium DNA using conserved PCR primers failed to associate the pathogen with symptomatic plants. Instead, culture-independent sequencing of microbial communities nominated unexpected pathogens and revealed patchiness in the assembly of common microbial consortia. Surprisingly, tests of differential enrichment identified Phytophthora as the most common disease-associated taxon. More generally, across all field sites, multilevel pattern analysis identified indicator taxa whose patterns of co-occurrence demarcate discrete microbial communities and are consistent with a range of specific interactions, including mutualism and antagonism. Taken together, these data indicate that soilborne chickpea disease in Ethiopia has heterogeneous origins and that despite decades of emphasis and disease resistance breeding, the role of Fusarium as the frequent agent of chickpea disease in Ethiopia remains enigmatic.
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issn 2471-2906
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher The American Phytopathological Society
record_format Article
series Phytobiomes Journal
spelling doaj-art-a676f61c4dfa4e9186f14c4cedd15fa52024-11-23T17:01:49ZengThe American Phytopathological SocietyPhytobiomes Journal2471-29062024-11-018445646810.1094/PBIOMES-02-24-0023-RMicrobial Community Analysis Offers Insight into the Complex Origins of Plant Disease in a Smallholder Farm ContextBetsy A. Alford0Dagnachew Bekele1Sultan M. Yimer2Amna Fayyaz3Noelia Carrasquilla-Garcia4Peter L. Chang5Calen Badger6Anandkumar Surendrarao7Eric J. B. von Wettberg8M. Farooq H. Munis9Kassahun Tesfaye10Asnake Fikre11Douglas R. Cook12Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8680, U.S.A.Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Debre Zeit Research Center, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaWoldia University, Woldia, EthiopiaDepartment of Plant Pathology, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8680, U.S.A.Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8680, U.S.A.Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8680, U.S.A.Integrative Genetics and Genomics Graduate Group, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8680, U.S.A.Plant Biology Graduate Group, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8680, U.S.A.Department of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, U.S.A.Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, 45320, PakistanInstitute of Biotechnology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaEthiopian Institute of Agricultural Research, Debre Zeit Research Center, Addis Ababa, EthiopiaDepartment of Plant Pathology, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616-8680, U.S.A.Classical approaches to plant disease diagnosis assume a single pathogen/single disease paradigm. Here, we revisit the presumed role of Fusarium oxysporum as the causal agent of wilting and yellowing of chickpea plants on smallholder farms in Ethiopia. Contrary to expectations, detection of Fusarium DNA using conserved PCR primers failed to associate the pathogen with symptomatic plants. Instead, culture-independent sequencing of microbial communities nominated unexpected pathogens and revealed patchiness in the assembly of common microbial consortia. Surprisingly, tests of differential enrichment identified Phytophthora as the most common disease-associated taxon. More generally, across all field sites, multilevel pattern analysis identified indicator taxa whose patterns of co-occurrence demarcate discrete microbial communities and are consistent with a range of specific interactions, including mutualism and antagonism. Taken together, these data indicate that soilborne chickpea disease in Ethiopia has heterogeneous origins and that despite decades of emphasis and disease resistance breeding, the role of Fusarium as the frequent agent of chickpea disease in Ethiopia remains enigmatic.https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PBIOMES-02-24-0023-R18S sequencingchickpeaFusarium oxysporumhierarchical clusteringindicator analysismicrobiome
spellingShingle Betsy A. Alford
Dagnachew Bekele
Sultan M. Yimer
Amna Fayyaz
Noelia Carrasquilla-Garcia
Peter L. Chang
Calen Badger
Anandkumar Surendrarao
Eric J. B. von Wettberg
M. Farooq H. Munis
Kassahun Tesfaye
Asnake Fikre
Douglas R. Cook
Microbial Community Analysis Offers Insight into the Complex Origins of Plant Disease in a Smallholder Farm Context
Phytobiomes Journal
18S sequencing
chickpea
Fusarium oxysporum
hierarchical clustering
indicator analysis
microbiome
title Microbial Community Analysis Offers Insight into the Complex Origins of Plant Disease in a Smallholder Farm Context
title_full Microbial Community Analysis Offers Insight into the Complex Origins of Plant Disease in a Smallholder Farm Context
title_fullStr Microbial Community Analysis Offers Insight into the Complex Origins of Plant Disease in a Smallholder Farm Context
title_full_unstemmed Microbial Community Analysis Offers Insight into the Complex Origins of Plant Disease in a Smallholder Farm Context
title_short Microbial Community Analysis Offers Insight into the Complex Origins of Plant Disease in a Smallholder Farm Context
title_sort microbial community analysis offers insight into the complex origins of plant disease in a smallholder farm context
topic 18S sequencing
chickpea
Fusarium oxysporum
hierarchical clustering
indicator analysis
microbiome
url https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/PBIOMES-02-24-0023-R
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