Microbiome composition in grapevine trunk diseases symptomatic plants is modulated by genotype and region

Grapevine health is influenced by microbiome composition, which is affected by region and several plant features such as cultivar, age and rootstock. Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTDs) are caused by several wood-colonizing fungi, leading to imbalances in microbiome composition. Here, we performed next-generation sequencing of fungal and bacterial microbiomes present in trunk samples of ninety-seven symptomatic grapevines, from two cultivars (cv. Touriga Nacional and cv. Aragonez), collected in eight Portuguese wine-producing regions. The influence of wine-producing regions, grapevine genotype, rootstock, and age was analyzed. Results indicate that microbiome composition is largely influenced by region and cultivar, with more pronounced alterations in cv. Touriga Nacional. Furthermore, relationships between microbes were characterized, revealing that several genera could engage in competitive interactions with the pathogens. We postulate that environmental conditions associated to the wine-producing regions modulate trunk endosphere and microbiome composition. Plant cultivar, age and rootstock also influence the trunk microbiome assembly, leading to distinct taxa composition in the trunk, and also altered microbe relationships.