The microbiome of a perennial cereal differs from annual winter wheat only in the root endosphere.

Abstract

The intensification of agriculture has led to environmental degradation, including the loss of biodiversity. This has prompted interest in perennial grain cropping systems to address and mitigate some of these negative impacts. In order to determine if perennial grain cultivation promotes a higher microbial diversity, we assessed the endophytic microbiota of a perennial grain crop (intermediate wheatgrass, Thinopyrum intermedium L.) in comparison to its annual counterpart, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The study covered three sampling sites in a pan-European gradient (Sweden, Belgium, and France), two plant genotypes, three plant compartments (roots, stems, and leaves), and two sampling time points. We observed that the host genotype effect was mainly evident in the belowground compartment, and only to a lesser extent in the aboveground tissues, with a similar pattern at all three sampling sites. Moreover, intermediate wheatgrass roots harbored a different bacterial community composition and higher diversity and richness compared to their annual counterparts. The root bacterial diversity was influenced by not only several soil chemical parameters, such as the carbon:nitrogen ratio, but also soil microbial parameters, such as soil respiration and dehydrogenase activity. Consistent findings across time and space suggest stable mechanisms in microbiota assembly associated with perennial grain cropping, underscoring their potential role in supporting biodiversity within sustainable agricultural systems.