Exploring bacterial endophyte communities of Vanilla planifolia

Rhizosphere bacterial community and endophytes are nowadays known to influence plant health and response to environmental stress. Very limited studies reported the endophyte bacterial communities of Vanilla planifolia and the endophytic bacterial community that promote plant growth or are implicated in the formation of aroma constituents remains unclear. In this study, rhizosphere soil and root tissue samples and green pods of three accessions of Vanilla planifolia were selected to determine the bacterial community composition and diversity of the rhizosphere ac-cording to substrate nature. In addition, the endophyte microorganisms of roots and green pods and their vertical transmission as well as the evolution of bacterial endophytes after the curing process of vanilla green pods were analyzed based on a metabarcoding approach. Regarding the substrate nature, the results showed that species richness and diversity were higher in the compost. Moreover, the soil bacterial communities appear to be dependent on the host plant genotype. The curing process reduced the richness and bacterial diversity associated with the green pods. This study provides insights into the changes in microbial community and especially endophytes in the roots and the green pods. It highlighted potential bacterial genera implicated in the formation of aroma compounds of vanilla beans.