Rhizosphere microbial communities associated with Rhizoctonia damage at the field and disease patch scale

• Microbial communities were assessed in soils either suppressive or conducive to Rhizoctonia.
• Suppression was not transferred between soils across different geographical regions.
• Soil communities differed significantly from ‘in’ and ‘out’ of disease patches in the field.
• Stubble and tillage management had major effect on incidence of disease expression.
• Soil type and management are important factors for suppressive soil capability.

Rhizoctonia solani AG-8 is a major root pathogen in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) systems worldwide and while natural disease suppression can develop under continuous cropping, this is not always the case. The main aim of our work was to elucidate the rhizosphere microbial community underlying a Rhizoctonia suppressive soil (Avon, South Australia) and to investigate how this community may develop in agricultural soils conducive to disease and of different soil type (Galong and Harden, New South Wales). The Avon suppressive soil community included Asaia spp. and Paenibacillus borealis, which were absent from a paired non-suppressive site. At Galong, soil taken from inside and outside disease patches showed no evidence of suppression, and disease suppression could not be transferred from the suppressive soil to the conducive soil from a different soil type and climatic area. 16S rRNA microarray analysis revealed Pseudomonas spp. were significantly more abundant inside than outside three disease patches at Galong. However, a survey of 32 patches across a range of stubble and tillage treatments at a nearby site showed no correlation between Pseudomonas and disease incidence. R. solani levels were significantly lower when stubble was retained rather than burnt or when nutrients (N, P and S) were incorporated with stubble during the non-crop period. Our results suggest soil type is an important factor for suppressive capability and that where specific disease suppression is absent, agronomic practice to increase soil carbon can encourage a non-specific microbial response that limits disease severity.