Biology subjects

Kuramae, E.

Publications and source records attributed to Kuramae, E..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Disentangling the importance of microbiological and physicochemical properties of Ethiopian field soils for the Striga seed bank and sorghum infestations

Striga hermonthica (Striga) is a parasitic weed that severely affects sorghum yields in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent studies highlighted the soil microbiomes potential to suppress Striga through interference with specific stages in its life cycle. In this study, meta-analysis of 48 Ethiopian field soils revealed that microbial communities and their interactions with soil physico-chemical properties correlated with Striga field occurrence. Striga infestation of sorghum and soil seedbank levels were negatively correlated with clay content and the nutrients potassium, sulfur, calcium, and carbon. Microbiome analyses indicated that fungal communities were more responsive than bacteria to changes in Striga infestation and seedbank levels, with distinct microbial compositions even in soils where Striga was not detected. Specific fungal and bacterial genera showed both positive and negative correlations with Striga measures, but patterns rarely held across taxonomic levels, highlighting the complexity of microbiome-Striga interactions. To begin to validate these correlations, we tested an isolate from the fungal genus Neocosmospora, which negatively correlated with the Striga seedbank, and showed that this isolate promotes Striga seed germination in vitro, suggesting potential for biological control of Striga. The data and analysis methods are integrated and shared in a public Shiny App for broader analysis and continued research on soil-Striga interactions.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2025

Soil Determines Microbial Functionality and Genotype Guides Endophytic Recruitment to Adaptability in Sugarcane Systems

Soil properties critically shape sugarcane growth and its microbiome, yet their influence on gene expression remains unclear. We investigated the combined effects of soil type (clayey and sandy loam) and sugarcane genotype (IACSP-5503 and IACSP-6007) on microbiome composition and plant transcriptional profiles. Bacterial communities from soils and stalk tissues, as well as transcriptomes of 48-hour sprouted buds grown for 10 months, were analyzed. Results showed that IACSP-5503 (adapted to low-fertility soils) and IACSP-6007 (less adapted) recruited endophytic microbiota in a soil-genotype-dependent manner. In sandy loam, IACSP-5503 promoted diverse plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) (including Burkholderia, Leifsonia, and Mycobacterium), associated with nitrogen fixation, hormone production, and stress tolerance, while IACSP-6007 displayed reduced PGPB diversity and transcriptomic signatures of nutrient deficiencies. Conversely, in clayey soil, IACSP-6007 recruited more PGPBs (such as Pseudomonas, Bacillus and Klebsiella) linked to nutrient acquisition and defense responses. Both genotypes exhibited enhanced expression of defense- and antioxidant-related genes in clayey soil, suggesting priming effects. Overall, our findings reveal soil-dependent, genotype-specific microbial recruitment strategies, including a potential "cry for help" mechanism in IACSP-5503, reflecting adaptation under nutrient-poor conditions. The combined 16S metataxonomic and transcriptome data offered insights into how soil and genotype shape microbial recruitment and transcriptional plasticity in sugarcane.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2019

Mapping of long-term impact of conventional and organic soil management on resident and active fractions of rhizosphere communities of barley (Hordeum vulgare)

Soil biota plays an essential role in ecosystem services such as carbon fixation, nitrogen and phosphorous cycling, and disease suppressiveness. Conventional soil management with large inputs of mineral fertilizers and pesticides have a significant impact on primary decomposer communities (bacteria and fungi), as well as on protists and metazoa, representatives of the next trophic level. Organic soil management is thought to contribute to a more diverse and stable soil food web. However, information to pinpoint this supposed beneficial effect is sparse and fragmented. Keeping in mind that a substantial fraction of the soil biota is dormant, we set out to map both the resident and the active the bacterial, fungal, protozoan and metazoan communities under various soil management regimes in two distinct soil types with barley as main crop. For all four organismal groups, the contrast between resident (rDNA-based) and active (rRNA-based) was the most important explanatory variable explaining 22%, 14%, 21% and 25% of the variance among bacterial, fungal, protozoan, and metazoan communities. Less prominent were the effects of soil management and soil type, however significant as well for all four organismal groups. LEfSe was used to identify indicator taxa for both the contrasts between resident and active communities, and the effects of soil management. Our results suggest that - next to DNA-based community characterisation - mapping of the active microbial community could provide essential insights in the effects of variables such as crop and soil management on the soil living community.

ecology↗