Soil‐borne legacy facilitates the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in soil–plant continua

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) disseminates throughout the soil-plant continuum via complex microbial interactions. Plants shape root- and leaf-associated microbiomes that sustain plant health; however, soil-borne legacies-enriched with antibiotic-producing microbes and resistance genes-govern AMR dynamics across agroecosystems. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, and high-throughput quantitative PCR, we profiled antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements, and virulence factor genes across bulk soil, rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and root endosphere within soil-tomato and soil-strawberry continua. Recurrent bacterial wilt amplified the resistome, particularly polypeptide resistance genes, thereby establishing the rhizosphere as a major hotspot of ARG accumulation. Multidrug-resistant <i>Ralstonia solanacearum</i> (<i>R. solanacearum</i>) strains acted as major ARG reservoirs, harboring resistance determinants on both chromosomes and megaplasmids. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that pathogen-driven restructuring of the plant microbiome accelerates ARG dissemination, establishing soil-borne diseases as critical amplifiers of AMR across agricultural ecosystems.