Diversity and Dynamics of Epidermal Microbes During Grape Development of Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) in the Ecological Viticulture Model in Wuhai, China

Abstract

Grapevine-related microorganisms affect the health and yield of grapes, the metabolic pathways of the fermentation process, and the regional characteristics of wine. However, the diversity of epidermal microorganisms during the development of berries under the ecological viticulture model has not been described in detail. In this study, high-throughput amplicon sequencing technology was used to perform ITS and 16S sequencing of Cabernet Sauvignon epidermal microbes at different developmental stages in the Wuhai region to investigate the succession of epidermal microbes and their response to developmental stages and vineyard weather. The results showed that the diversity of fungi and bacteria decreased during development. Epidermal microorganisms recruited members according to their developmental stages, but retained the core taxa, such as the fungi genera Alternaria, Jattaea, and Jattaea and the bacteria genera Brevundimonas, Sphingomonas, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas. In addition, the microbial diversity was associated with specific meteorological parameters, implying that there was a connection between the environmental conditions of the vineyard and the microbial distribution pattern such as the fungus genus Filobasidium was positively correlated with relative humidity and negatively correlated with average high temperature, average low temperature, and average ground temperature; the bacterium genus Lactobacillus was positively correlated with sunlight time, and negatively correlated with relative humidity. In conclusion, this study can help vineyard managers understand the microbial consortia associated with particular diseases, and also the dynamics of infection processes in order to take preventive actions, especially at the most critical moments.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Assyrtiko Grape Microbiota

“…Ascomycota emerged as the predominant fungal phylum across all samples with Basidiomycota appearing in relatively smaller abundance. These results are in accordance with previous studies of grape microbiome [ 10 , 13 , 47 ] as well as of must microbiome [ 3 , 48 ]. Furthermore, the frequently observed in grape microbiome studies fungal genera such as Davidiella , Alternaria , Erysiphe, and Aerobasidium [ 10 , 47 ] are of the core fungal microbiome of Assyrtiko variety ( Figure 7 ).…”

“…These results are in accordance with previous studies of grape microbiome [ 10 , 13 , 47 ] as well as of must microbiome [ 3 , 48 ]. Furthermore, the frequently observed in grape microbiome studies fungal genera such as Davidiella , Alternaria , Erysiphe, and Aerobasidium [ 10 , 47 ] are of the core fungal microbiome of Assyrtiko variety ( Figure 7 ). Furthermore, despite Aspergillus being frequently encountered in the fungal microbial communities [ 10 ], in our study it was only detected in the samples from Attica.…”

“…Furthermore, the frequently observed in grape microbiome studies fungal genera such as Davidiella , Alternaria , Erysiphe, and Aerobasidium [ 10 , 47 ] are of the core fungal microbiome of Assyrtiko variety ( Figure 7 ). Furthermore, despite Aspergillus being frequently encountered in the fungal microbial communities [ 10 ], in our study it was only detected in the samples from Attica. Notably, Aspergillus has been previously documented to exhibit such variability in its abundance on Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, particularly in relation to the viticultural area [ 3 ].…”

“…The rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and mainly the grape berries are important habitats shaping the microbial terroir [ 9 ]. These intricate microbial communities encompass a diverse set of yeasts, filamentous fungi, and bacteria [ 10 ]. A number of these microorganisms play essential roles promoting plant growth, fruit yield, pathogen defense, crop health and survival [ 11 , 12 , 13 ] while others may negatively affect the health of the plant by causing serious diseases, which result in economic loss due to a decrease in the yield and/or quality [ 9 , 14 ].…”

Diversity of fungal communities on Cabernet and Aglianico grapes from vineyards located in Southern Italy

“…Similar results were also obtained by Gao et al (2019) in their work regarding the study of the fungal community structure of grape surfaces. In addition, Wei et al (2022) reported that the core taxa of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are retained at the genus level, although the fungi diversity changes during the berry development.…”