Effect of the soil and the landrace rootstock genotype on Hass avocado´s rhizosphere bacterial communities

Abstract

Abstract Colombia is the fifth world producer of avocado, with Hass cultivar as the most important in the country and especially in the Department of Antioquia, which is the main exporter. For the Department, the Hass cultivar presents high genetic polymorphism associated with different landrace rootstocks and, it is unknown what impact these genotypes may have on the bacterial communities of the rhizosphere. Taking into account the importance of these bacterial communities in the health and productivity of the crop, we analyzed the effect of two landrace genotypes of Persea americana cv. Hass on the structure of the bacterial communities of the rhizosphere, in two different farms. Significant differences were found in the bacterial communities between farms, mainly in alpha and beta diversity (P < 0.05), as well as in the co-occurrence networks. On the contrary, no differences associated with genotypes were detected. Here, influential soil variables that shape the bacterial microbiome were found. Also, the metagenome prediction suggests a consumer microbiome of rhizodeposits. This research suggests that the rhizosphere bacterial microbiome is similar between avocado landrace rootstocks. Finally, this study will allow delving into the mechanisms that influence the health and productivity of plants with agroindustry potentials, such as the Hass avocado.