POSTERS: Phytobiomes
Tare soil microbiome of seed Potato (Solanum tuberosum) varies by geographic location and seed growing operation
Kayla Delventhal - Oregon State University. Kenneth Frost- Oregon State University, Devin Leopold- Oregon State University, Xiaoping Li- Oregon State University, Victoria Skillman- Oregon State University, Posy Busby- Oregon State University
Tare soil refers to soil that adheres to the potato tuber surface after harvest. This soil is part of the geocaulosphere, the zone of soil in proximity to and associated with the stolon and tuber system. Seed potatoes are transported along with their tare soil from seed farms to the fields of potato growers around the country. Tare soil has the potential to harbor both pathogenic and beneficial microbes, thus understanding the factors influencing tare soil microbiome composition may help develop management strategies that promote plant health. To determine if the tare soil microbiome varies among cultivars and/or origin of seed potato production (i.e. state, growing operation), we characterized bacterial and fungal communities of tare soil from 38 seed lots in 2018.Our preliminary analysis indicates that geographic location and individual seed growing operation combined explain a significant proportion of variation in both fungal (PERMANOVA F6,16= 3.14, p<0.001) and bacterial (F6,16=1.91, p=0.002) community composition. Our ongoing analyses seek to determine the relative importance of geographic distance, soil type, and potato cultivar as factors influencing the composition of the tare soil microbiome.