Insights into the diversity of the endophytic community in potatoes and factors affecting this diversity
Plant-microbiome interactions have become a critical focus in sustainable agricultural management due to their significant impact on plant health and growth. The role of the plant microbiome in promoting plant vitality is well established, with the rhizosphere and endophytic communities playing key parts. In this thesis, we focus specifically on the endophytic microbiome, which is often overlooked but plays crucial roles such as pest and disease protection, nutrient mobilisation, and stress tolerance for plants. Using results from controlled greenhouse experiments, my thesis highlights the significant role of soil in determining the composition of bacterial and fungal endophytes. It further emphasises the stronger role of cultivars in shaping the fungal endophytes in potatoes. Moreover, it suggests that strategies aimed to manipulate the bacterial communities in breeding programs may not give same results for fungal communities. This thesis also explains the impact of soil microbiome by disentangling its effect from the soil physico-chemical properties by using distinct soil communities. It reveals that the soil microbiome inoculation effect is not limited to the rhizosphere but extends up to the endophytic compartment of the plant. It also presents the association of rhizosphere community composition with host developmental stage. Additionally, this thesis suggests that the influence of deterministic processes in the community assembly of plants may increase over the growth period of plants.