Phyllosphere microbial diversity and specific taxa mediate within-cultivar resistance to Phytophthora palmivora in cacao.

ABSTRACT: The oomycete pathogen Phytophthora palmivora, which causes black pod rot (BPR) on cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), is responsible for devastating yield losses worldwide. Genetic variation in resistance to Phytophthora spp. is well documented among cacao cultivars, but variation has also been observed in the incidence of BPR even among trees of the same cultivar. In light of evidence that the naturally occurring phyllosphere microbiome can influence foliar disease resistance in other host-pathogen systems, it was hypothesized that differences in the phyllosphere microbiome between two field accessions of the cultivar Gainesville II 164 could be responsible for their contrasting resistance to P. palmivora. Bacterial alpha diversity was higher but fungal alpha diversity

SUBMITTER: Schmidt JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10597403 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature