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Cross-Kingdom Synthetic Microbiota Suppresses Wheat Fusarium Crown Rot by Remodeling the Rhizosphere Microbiome and Metabolome

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Fusarium crown rot (FCR) of wheat lacks sustainable control. We assembled a cross-kingdom synthetic microbial community (SMC) of Trichoderma harzianum T19 and five Bacillus strains and tested it in nonsterile soil challenged with Fusarium pseudograminearum . The SMC treatment significantly suppressed FCR, reducing the disease severity index by approximately 70%. Wheat growth and yield were simultaneously enhanced. In the rhizosphere, SMC improved soil health by elevating soil organic matter and nitrogen levels by over 50%, while mitigating pathogen-induced nutrient imbalances and boosting nutrient-cycling enzyme activities. Amplicon sequencing revealed that SMC suppressed pathogenic Fusarium in the rhizosphere and enriched beneficial microbes, including antagonistic fungi ( Trichoderma, Chaetomium ) and plant growth-promoting bacteria ( Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus ). Co-occurrence network analysis showed that SMC treatment restructured the rhizosphere microbial network with higher connectivity, stability, and a prevalence of positive cooperative interactions under F. pseudograminearum stress. Defense-related metabolites, such as epi-jasmonic acid, allantoin, Nβ-acetyltryptamine, and dihydrodaidzein, accumulated to higher levels with SMC. These findings demonstrate that the cross-kingdom SMC modulates soil nutrients, microbial community structure, and rhizosphere metabolites to synergistically promote wheat growth and enhance resistance to FCR.

Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c11786