Xinan Li, Chao Wang, Xun Zhu, Vardis Ntoukakis, Tomislav Cernava & Decai Jin

Leaf-associated microbes play an important role in plant development and response to exogenous stress. Insect herbivores are known to alter the phyllosphere microbiome. However, whether the host plant’s defense against insects is related to the phyllosphere microbiome remains mostly elusive. Here, we investigated bacterial communities in the phyllosphere and endosphere of eight wheat cultivars with differing aphid resistance, grown in the same farmland. Communities of leaf-associated microbes in wheat plants were mainly driven by the host genotype. Members of the genus Exiguobacterium may have adverse effects on wheat aphids. Our findings provide new clues supporting the development of aphid control strategies based on phyllosphere microbiome engineering.

Environmental Microbiome. October 2023