Analysis on the community structure of bacteria in tea leaves and rhizosphere soil in Pu'er

Abstract:

[Objective] Endophyte and rhizosphere microorganisms of tea plant not only play an important role in the fermentation of Pu-erh tea, but also promote the growth of tea plants and induce disease resistance of tea plants. Studying the community structure and their relationship can provide a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of microbial resources. [Methods] In this study, we sequenced the 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene of bacteria in tea leaves and rhizosphere soil by high-throughput sequencing technology, analysed the community structure of bacteria in tea leaves and rhizosphere soil. [Results] The results showed that endophytic bacteria in tea leaves were mainly composed of 76 genera, belonging to 9 phyla. Among them, the phyla with higher relative abundance were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria. At the genus level, the genera with high relative abundance were Lactobacillus, Blautia, Faecalibacterium, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, Bacteroide, and Prevotella. Rhizosphere soil bacteria were mainly composed of 198 genera, belonging to 10 phyla. The phyla with higher relative abundance were Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Actinobacteria, and Acidobacteria. At the genus level, the high abundance genera of bacteria in rhizosphere soil were the same as those in tea leaves, but the relative abundance of the same genus was different in the two. The abundance and diversity of endophytic bacteria in tea leaves were significantly lower than those in rhizosphere soil, but more than 50% of the endophytic bacteria were also identified in the rhizosphere soil. [Conclusion] Our findings would provide a basis for the bacterium-based strategies in bacterial manure and Pu-erh tea quality.