MICROBIOME COMPARISON POST-INOCULATION WITH PHYTOPATHOGENIC XANTHOMONAS AND ANTIBIOTIC-PRODUCING ISOLATES

Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae (Xoo) and Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzicola (Xoc) are notable phytopathogens that cause tremendous harm to the rice industry by causing bacterial leaf blight and leaf streak in rice, respectively. We aimed to investigate the impact of Xoo and Xoc on soil microbiomes by utilizing safe relatives inoculated into soil. We further investigated the effects of Xanthomonas-inhibiting, antibiotic-producing isolates inoculated into the soil microbiome in isolation and the presumed post-Xanthomonas inoculation. Microcosms were designed containing garden soil, which was inoculated with designated bacteria, and samples were taken for DNA extraction every week; the V4 region of the 16s rRNA was utilized for microbiome analysis. The Xanthomonas did not establish in the soil, and antibiotic-producing inoculations were not found to alter the microbiome alpha or beta diversity. The addition of the antibiotic-producing isolates was also found not to significantly to alter the microbiome. However, significant differences were found in the beta diversity when antibiotic-producing isolates were introduced post-Xanthomonas. The soil microbiome is known to impact the course of disease development in plants and act as a defense against the establishment of pathogens. Due to the high competition for resources within soil microbiomes, pathogen establishment can be deterred by previous soil occupants. When soil is found to resist invasion with pathogens, it can be considered disease suppressive.