Metabarcoding Profiling Reveals Microbiome Structure and Predicts Functional Shifts in Grapevines Challenged by Phyllosticta ampelicida.

ABSTRACT: Black rot disease (BRD), caused by the still understudied Phyllosticta ampelicida, is spreading across several grape producing countries, posing a growing threat to the agroindustry. The role of the grapevine microbiome in defending against this pathogen, particularly in terms of microbiota structure and community homeostasis, remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to characterize the epiphytic phyllosphere microbiota of grapevines and identify shifts in microbial genetic structure associated with BRD symptoms. We sampled three vineyards of the cultivar "Touriga Nacional" in the Douro region (Portugal), collecting 20 leaves from (a) five healthy and (b) five BRD-symptomatic grapevines. The presence of P. ampelicida was confirmed in all symptomatic samples. Epiphytic bacterial DNA was ext

SUBMITTER: Oliveira-Pinto PR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12597850 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature