A microbial consortium enhances tea yield and quality in a field study

Abstract

There is a close relationship between belowground microorganisms and aboveground plant growth, and soil microbiomes contribute to plant growth, health and production. However, the influence of application microbial agents on soil microbial community structure and production of tea (Camellia sinensis) plantations remains unclear. To test this, under a microbial consortiuma (TCM) and water treatments, a conjoint analysis transcriptome and metabolome profiling was carried out in tea shoots harvested, focused on the carbon/nitrogen metabolism, plant immune response, and a analysis of the structure of the rhizosphere microbial community was carried out in rhizosphere soil harvested. Compared to the water treatment, the tea shoot dry weight, nutrients content (nitrogen and phosphorus) increased (p < 0.001), and promoted the nitrogen metabolism and weaked the carbon metabolism in some extent (p < 0.01), TCM inoculation also triggered direct or indirect defense effects in tea shoots by upregulating key genes in the jasmonic acid, ethylene, and salicylic acid pathways. The abundance of carbon/nitrogen cycles and predatory myxobacterial species were significantly enriched and were positively correlated with C. sinensis productivity and nutrition in the rhizosphere soil. The TCM consortium application positively affected carbon/nitrogen allocation, defense-growth synergy of C. sinensis by altering indigenous rhizobacterial communities (p < 0.01) and enhanced nutrient use efficiency. The TCM is a safe tea inoculant that could be used to enhance the quality and yield, showing a potential use as biofertilizers in C. sinensis cultivation.