Deciphering the roles of bacterial and fungal communities in the formation and quality of agarwood
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Aquilaria sinensis is a significant resin-producing plant worldwide that is crucial for agarwood production. Agarwood has different qualities depending on the method with which it is formed, and the microbial community structures that are present during these methods are also diverse. Furthermore, the microbial communities of plants play crucial roles in determining their health and productivity. While previous studies have investigated the impact of microorganisms on agarwood formation, they lack comprehensiveness, particularly regarding the properties of the microbial community throughout the entire process from seedling to adult to incense formation. We collected roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and other tissues from seedlings, healthy plants and agarwood-producing plants to address this gap and assess the dominant bacterial species in the microbial community structures of A. sinensis at different growth stages and their impacts on growth and agarwood formation. The bacteria and fungi in these tissues were classified and counted from different perspectives. The samples were sequenced using the Illumina sequencing platform, and sequence analyses and species annotations were performed using a range of bioinformatics tools to assess the plant community compositions. An additional comparison of the samples was conducted using diversity analyses to assess their differences. This research revealed that Listeria, Kurtzmanomyces, Ascotaiwania, Acinetobacter, Sphingobium, Fonsecaea, Acrocalymma, Allorhizobium, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Peethambara, and Debaryomyces are potentially associated with the formation of agarwood. Overall, the data provided in this article help us understand the important roles played by bacteria and fungi in the growth and agarwood formation process of A. sinensis, will support the theoretical basis for the large-scale cultivation of A. sinensis, and provide a basis for further research on microbial community applications in agarwood production and beyond.
Source: Stress Biology
Institutions: Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing Forestry University, State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shenzhen Children's Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, University of Cambridge, Fuyao University of Science and Technology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology
Language: English
Topic: Wood and Agarwood Research
Subfield: Organic Chemistry
Field: Chemistry
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Awards: G2827158936, G6185905311
OpenAlex ID: W4402697948