POSTERS: Phytobiomes
Interkingdom interactions in the soybean root microbiome with different soybean seed treatments
Zachary Noel - Michigan State University. Martin Chilvers- Michigan State University
Soybean seeds and seedlings are vulnerable to many soil-borne pests and pathogens and protection of emerging soybeans is essential. Seed treatments are widely used in soybeans but, little is known about the ecological significance of chemical seed treatments on microbial communities. The objective of this research was to investigate interactions between oomycetes (RPS10), fungi (ITS1-2), and bacteria (16s) within soybean roots and to understand if soybean seed treatments impacted these interactions through direct and indirect means. Roots were collected from two locations in Michigan from non-treated soybean, or soybeans treated with ethaboxam, mefenoxam, ethaboxam plus mefenoxam or fluopyram. DNA was extracted from soybean root tissue and amplicon libraries were constructed then sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. Co-occurrence networks were constructed and investigations into the interactions among soil microbes revealed that the majority of interkingdom interactions was negative (indicating possible competition) but that intrakingdom interactions were positive. Negative interkingdom interactions could reveal potential biocontrol candidates. Investigation into the effect of seed treatment chemistry onto microbial network structure in soybean roots is underway and will reveal how seed treatment chemistry may alter network structure for improved plant health.