Leveraging Microbial Insights: Metataxonomic Analysis of Symptomatic and Non-Symptomatic Gros Michel Banana Plants for Advancing Fusarium Wilt Management in Ecuador

Ecuador, the world largest banana exporter, faces a major threat from Fusarium wilt of banana FW, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 Foc TR4. This study investigates the microbiome of symptomatic and non symptomatic Gros Michel bananas affected by FW Foc race 1 to identify microbial taxa involved in disease suppression. The study analyzed bacterial and fungal communities in the pseudostem, rhizome, and rhizosphere soil using high throughput sequencing. It found that non symptomatic plants harbored higher bacterial diversity and beneficial genera like Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, and Bacillus. In contrast, symptomatic plants were enriched in fungal taxa such as Fusarium and Rhodotorula. Significant differences in bacterial community composition were observed based on symptomatology and tissue type. These findings highlight the banana microbiome role in plant health and disease resistance, contributing to the development of biocontrol agents and integrated disease management strategies to mitigate FW impact on global banana production.