Detalle de: The structure and co-occurrence networks of banana root-associated microbiota are shaped by sampling year and plant developmental stage

Bananas ( Musa spp.) are one of the most important food staples worldwide. Although plant-associated microbiota is essential to host health, the effect of banana developmental stage on microbial communities remains poorly understood. Here we studied the differences in the rhizosphere and root endosphere microbiota of banana mother and sucker plants, in two consecutive years and in two different orchards located in Tenerife (Canary Islands). The potential vegetative transmission of belowground microorganisms from mothers to suckers was also assessed by metabarcoding techniques. Sampling year exhibited a greater impact than plants' developmental stage on microbial communities. Few, subtle differences were registered between mother and sucker plants in both orchards. Overall, the rhizosphere microbiota was more diverse in the first sampling campaign than in the second one, whereas endosphere microorganisms displayed the opposite trend. Rhizosphere microbiota of mother plants formed more compartimentalized co-occurrence networks, while suckers exhibited complex networks of root endophytes. We also detected 12 bacterial ASVs that could be vertically transferred from mothers to their offspring in both orchards. Contrariwise, no fungal ASVs were virtually transferred from mothers to their progeny in both orchards. Potentially transferred microorganisms could be employed in the establishment of new banana fields regardless of the environmental or agricultural practices. They could also be employed in in vitro mipropagation tasks in order to ensure their presence in axenic conditions. Our results suggest that root-associated microbiota is more profoundly shaped by environmental or plant changes along time than by the developmental stage of the host.