Comparison and Interpretation of Characteristics of Rhizosphere Microbial Communities in Three Blueberry Varieties: The Benefits to Blueberry Production

Abstract

Background: Rhizosphere microbiota play a critical role in biogeochemical cycles and carry out various vital functions in plant production. Studies on the rhizosphere microbiome of various plants proved that rhizosphere microbiota can regulate the growth and improve the yield of plants. However, the rhizosphere microbiome of commercial blueberry remains elusive. Hence, the characteristics of rhizosphere microbial communities of blueberry should be compared and interpreted for improving production. Methods: We collected 15 rhizosphere soil samples of three different blueberry varieties and five bulk soil samples to profile the composition of blueberry microbial communities by high-throughput sequencing. Results: Our results demonstrated significant differences in both alpha diversity and beta diversity of rhizosphere microbial communities of different blueberry varieties and bulk soil. We found that the distribution patterns of taxonomical, functional, and phenotypic composition of rhizosphere microbiome differ across the blueberry varieties. The rhizosphere microbial communities of three different blueberry varieties could be distinctly separated and 28 discriminative biomarkers were selected to distinguish these three blueberry varieties. Core rhizosphere microbiota for blueberry was identified, and it contained 201 OTUs, which were mainly affiliated with Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria. Moreover, we explored the interactions between OTUs of blueberry rhizosphere microbial communities by constructing the co-occurrence network of OTUs from an ecological perspective. Conclusions: This pilot study explored the characteristics of blueberry’s rhizosphere microbial community, such as the beneficial microorganisms, and provided an integrative perspective on blueberry’s rhizosphere microbiome, which was beneficial to blueberry health and production.