Impact of Pseudomonas sivasensis CF10PS3 introduction on wheat phyllosphere microbiome

Background: In the quest for sustainable agriculture, biological control agents (BCAs) offer promising alternatives to chemical pesticides. While the impacts of chemical treatments on the microbiome are well-documented, studies on BCA impacts remain scarce. This work investigates the impact of introducing Pseudomonas sivasensis CF10PS3, a candidate bacterial biocontrol agent, on the wheat phyllosphere bacterial microbiota, compared to a conventional chemical treatment. Utilizing an innovative metabarcoding technique with PRONAME, we assigned taxonomy at the species level to microbial communities associated with wheat plants treated with CF10PS3, a chemical fungicide, and a buffer as a control.Results: Our findings demonstrate that CF10PS3 has a dynamic impact on the phyllospheric microbial landscape, initially exerting a detrimental effect on numerous species, followed by a mixed effect with a similar number of depleted and promoted species. Ultimately, almost only promoted species were observed. The chemical treatment had more transient effects, with an equal number of depleted and promoted species by the end.Conclusions: These interactions underline the potential of using BCAs as microbiome modifiers, offering fine resolution since no broad effect was observed on the overall community, as revealed by alpha and beta diversity indices. This study contributes to the growing understanding of microbial interactions in the phyllosphere and highlights the importance of integrating microbial management strategies in crop cultivation to bolster agricultural sustainability.