Potential Plant‐Beneficial Bacteria Dominate Soil and Plant Compartments of Tomatoes

ABSTRACT The overuse of agrochemicals has created negative impacts on the environment and human health, raising the need for a sustainable approach to enhance crop productivity. Beneficial bacteria, known for promoting plant growth and health, are considered with significant potential. However, the distribution and community composition of potential plant‐beneficial bacteria (PBB) across soil and plant compartments remain largely underexplored. In this study, we characterized the diversity, composition and habitat preferences of potential PBB communities across three compartments of tomatoes. The potential PBB community in rhizosphere soil exhibited the highest diversity and abundance, whereas phyllosphere samples showed the lowest richness. Actinobacteria and Rubrobacteria dominated the soil potential PBB community, while Actinobacteria and Bacilli were predominant in the phyllosphere. At the genus level, Rubrobacter , Blastococcus and Nocardioides were the most prevalent potential PBB. In functional groups, plant growth‐promoting bacteria had the highest relative abundance across all compartments. Soil pH was identified as the most important factor driving the potential PBB diversity and community composition. This study enhances our understanding about the distribution and community structure of potential PBB and their plant‐beneficial traits across plant‐associated compartments and their responses to soil properties. New insights into potential PBB of tomatoes can serve as a crucial reference for the engineering of this beneficial bacterial community in improving plant disease control and plant performance in future.