Impact of Organophosphates on Diversity and Functional Characteristics of Phyllosphere Bacterial Communities of Solanum melongena

The phyllosphere harbours a distinctive microbial community that is influenced by plant species, geological locations, and biotic and abiotic environmental factors. Organophosphates represent a significant category of pesticides that are applied to plant surfaces for pest management. Despite substantial research into phyllosphere microorganisms, little is known about the influence of pesticides on the phyllosphere bacterial ecosystem. In the present study, the effect of chlorpyrifos, monocrotophos, and malathion was studied on the phyllosphere bacterial community of Solanum melongena. The plant-inhabitant bacterial population was explored using culturable and high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, with and without pesticide application. A total of 165 genera belonging to 14 phyla were observed in the control and 108 genera belonging to 11 phyla in the treated sample. In total, 28 morphologically distinct bacteria were isolated from the abaxial and adaxial surfaces of leaf, and 4 bacteria were found tolerant to pesticides. An increased abundance of Psychrobacter, Janthinobacterium, Sphingomonas, Flavobacterium, and Pedobacter were observed from the pesticide-treated phyllosphere. Overall pesticide impacted the evenness and diversity of the bacterial communities colonizing the S. melongena phyllosphere.