Relations among epiphytic microbial communities from soil, leaves and grapes of the grapevine

The dependence of plant health and crop quality on epiphytic microbial community has been universally addressed; however, little is known about the relations between the microbial communities from grapes and other plant tissues, such as leaves and roots. In this study, the bacterial and fungal communities on grape berries and leaves, as well as in vineyard soils were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene and fungal internal transcribed spacer high-throughput sequencing analysis. The results showed both the similarities and the differences in the diversity and structure of the microbial communities among tested samples. The highest richness and diversity of the microbial communities were found on grape berries, followed by that in soils and on leaves. The main bacterial genera, Blastococcus, Bacillus, and Arthrobacter, and the main fungal genera, Alternaria, Guehomyces, and Cladosporium, were present in all samples, but in different amounts, whereas some other genera were sample-specific. Cluster analysis defined generally two major groups: (1) the microbial communities on grapes and leaves, and (2) those originating from the soil. The results suggested that there was a correlation between the microbial communities on the below- and aboveground grape tissues.