Black pepper pathogen suppression: Divergent rhizosphere fungal communities of healthy and diseased plants yield new insights for orchard management in Vietnam

Complex interactions involving soil physicochemical parameters and plant-associated microbial communities determine crop health. In Vietnam, this process is poorly understood in the context of black pepper production. Specifically, there is a dearth of information for improving the suppression of pathogenic fungi. Understanding the environmental dynamics influencing the distribution of these pathogens would facilitate the development and use of biological agents in black pepper pathogen management. Here, the molecular profiles of fungal communities from the rhizosphere of healthy and unhealthy Vietnamese black pepper orchards and their relationships were determined. Additionally, co-occurrence analyses with a previously constructed bacterial dataset identified taxa indicative of soil suppression. Alpha diversity of total fungi was influenced by only environmental factors, while that of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi was more responsive to orchard health state. Glomus sp., Rhizophagus sp., Purpureocillium sp. and Plectosphaerella sp. were the most responsive genera to orchard health state. Potential fungal pathogens were more prevalent in the unhealthy orchards. Co-occurrence network analyses revealed that unhealthy orchards were less connected, had longer path distance and were missing putative pathogen-to-biocontrol interactions common in the healthy orchards. Soil electrical conductivity and potassium may be key factors in differentiating fungal communities of unhealthy from healthy orchards. This work highlights important microbial species and environmental considerations critical to improved black pepper management strategies.