Short Communication: “Host Plant Traits and Site History Shape Root Fungal Endophytic Communities of Sporobolus spartinae After Long-Term Exposure to Contaminants,” by Candice Y. Lumibao, Yue Liu, and Ioana E. Pavel. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-06-25-0045-SC

New findings from Chuntao Yin and Nathan Lahr demonstrate that soybeans recruit beneficial soil microbes to defend against the devastating soybean cyst #nematode. Read the press release to learn more: https://bit.ly/4cw2v9d Read the original article: https://bit.ly/3NmjBfv @plantdisease.bsky.social

José A. Sánchez-Gallego et al. hypothesized that introducing natural potato endophytic bacteria to plantlets in tissue culture could increase seed potato minitubers. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-05-25-0036-R

Short Communication: “Metagenomic and Culture-Based Detection of Pectobacterium spp.: What You See Is Not Always What You Get,” by Sadie M. Seaman et al. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-09-24-0085-SC

Damage from corn rootworm costs an excess of $1 billion each year in the United States alone. Man P. Huynh et al. may have found a solution: doi.org/10.1094/PBIO... Read the @science.org article to learn more: www.science.org/content/arti... @plantdisease.bsky.social

Natalie J. Graham et al. present evidence for phylosymbiosis in the root systems of conifer seedlings in both bacterial and fungal communities. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-03-25-0022-R

“Omics-Based Insights into Microbial Community Changes and Pathogen Identification in Strawberries Under Continuous Cropping,” by Chi Zhang et al. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-04-25-0027-R

Vanessa E. Thomas et al. identified and differentiated Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense tropical race 4 pathobionts from microbiota under dysbiosis during infection. Learn more about the findings: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-10-24-0097-R @SanTonyB

“The Interplay of Theobroma cacao Genetics and Its Pod Mycobiome on Controlling Pathogenic Fungus Moniliophthora roreri,” by Hilda E. Castillo et al. Read the open access article to learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-02-25-0009-R

Larissa Carvalho Ferreira et al. investigated the mycobiome composition associated with tar spot disease in corn and to evaluate the genetic diversity of Phyllachora maydis in Florida: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-12-24-0118-R

Editor’s Pick: Josh Sumner et al. investigated whether large mesocosms could be used to study the 3D spatial patterning of microbes and correlated metabolites across mature corn root systems to improve microbial-based products. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-09-24-0088-R @becky_bart

Editor’s Pick: Mackenzie Eli William Loranger et al. report the establishment of a screening method and the identification of 13 immunity-inducing strains in tomato plants, including a strain of Chitinophaga arvensicola. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-01-25-0004-R @DezielEric

Editor’s Pick: Jacob A. Heil et al. used Artemisia tridentata subsp. tridentata to measure the response of seedlings to microbial inoculations and drought conditions. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-04-25-0029-R

“Bacterial Assembly in the Switchgrass Rhizosphere Is Shaped by Phylogeny, Host Genotype, and Growing Site,” by Jeremy Sutherland et al. Read the article in Volume 9, Number 3 of Phytobiomes Journal: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-12-24-0116-R

Root-knot nematode egg masses host distinct bacterial communities, according to research by Daniele de Brum et al. Significant differences were found in the communities colonizing symptomatic and asymptomatic plants in field conditions: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-10-24-0099-R

Get a First Look 🔍 “The Interaction Between Abiotic and Biotic Soil Factors Modulates Heterosis Expression in Maize,” by Kayla M. Clouse et al.: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-04-25-0026-R

Cover crop legacies may promote beneficial changes in cash crop rhizosphere microbiota. Read the article by Chuntao Yin, Shannon L. Osborne, and R. Michael Lehman to learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-09-24-0086-R

Get a First Look 🔍 “Shifting Fungal Networks: How Dactylonectria macrodidyma Shapes Grapevine Mycobiome in Diverse Soils,” by C. Leal et al.: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-06-25-0042-R

“Characterization of Immunity-Inducing Rhizobacteria Highlights Diversity in Plant–Microbe Interactions” by Mack Loranger in the Yoshioka Lab is the Editor’s Pick in @phytobiomesjournal.bsky.social! Congratulations! 🧪🌱 #PlantScience #SoilScience apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...

Understanding the roles of endophytes in sustainable agriculture is a key focus of research. Jyotsna Nepal et al. investigated how 11 potato cultivars and 3 different growing conditions influence the diversity of microbial endophytes in potato roots: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-08-24-0083-R

Get a First Look 🔍 “Host Plant Traits and Site History Shape Root Fungal Endophytic Communities of Sporobolus spartinae After Long-Term Exposure to Contaminants,” by Candice Y. Lumibao, Yue Liu, and Ioana E. Pavel: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-06-25-0045-SC

New research from Celia de Moya-Ruiz et al. underlines shifts in the #aphid microbiome, which could provide insights for further investigation of microbial resource-based solutions to control aphid pests and associated viral diseases in agriculture: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-03-25-0017-R

Get a First Look 🔍 “Diversity of Soilborne Oomycetes Associated with Industrial Hemp in Southeastern Pennsylvania: A Comparison of Metabarcoding Loci for Taxonomic Profiling,” by Jaime E. Blair et al.: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-07-25-0056-R

Nicholas R. LeBlanc et al. characterized a novel endophytic #Agrobacterium sp. El2ro-1b from strawberry by generating and analyzing a high-quality genome assembly and testing the effects of the endophyte on plant growth: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-01-25-0003-SC

Get a First Look 🔍 “The Interplay of Theobroma cacao Genetics and Its Pod-Mycobiome on Controlling Pathogenic Fungus Moniliophthora roreri,” by Hilda E. Castillo et al.: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-02-25-0009-R

Dallas Moses and Morgan Carter compiled studies of endohyphal bacteria (EHB) from across diverse plant-associated microbes to provide a primer for EHB studies, considered through a phytobiomes lens, and comment on the directions of this emerging field: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-12-24-0117-MRVW

Just Published: “Omics-Based Insights into Microbial Community Changes and Pathogen Identification in Strawberries Under Continuous Cropping,” by Chi Zhang et al.: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-04-25-0027-R

Léa Ninzatti, Marie-Françoise Jardinaud, and Aurélien Carlier review current knowledge of hereditary leaf symbiosis in tropical plants and explore hypotheses regarding mechanisms that enable these highly specific interactions: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-11-24-0111-RVW

On this #WorldFoodDay, we celebrate the efforts of those who nourish our communities, protect our planet, and shape a better future through better food for all. Explore resources to learn more about food security and sustainability. #FAO80 https://bit.ly/4nqN3x7

Editor’s Pick: Findings from Kristin Hauschild et al. highlight that apple replant disease (ARD) tolerance in apple genotypes is linked to the soil microbiome and other soil properties, indicating the need for an integrated approach to management: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-08-24-0082-R

Editor’s Pick: “Bacterial Auxin Production in the Phyllosphere,” by Lorena I. Rangel et al. Read the article in Volume 9, Number 3 of Phytobiomes Journal: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-02-25-0010-R

Editor’s Pick: Terrence H. Bell et al. believe that there is no single “best” approach to iterative microbiome passaging but that experimental design choices can have substantial impacts on outcomes. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-11-24-0113-P

Silvia Talavera-Marcos et al. examined tomato rhizosphere microbiome assembly and potential composition–function links using a framework based on phylogenetically constrained microbial community assembly. https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-10-24-0098-SC

Mingming Yang et al. identified the seasonal and long-term population dynamics of root-associated bacterial communities over 8 years in monocropped wheat grown in adjacent dryland and irrigated plots in the low-precipitation region of Washington State: https://doi.org/10.1094/PBIOMES-02-24-0028-R

While investigating cotton leafroll dwarf virus in Mississippi, Michael West-Ortiz et al. identified a novel virus, cotton virus A (CotVA), in Gossypium plants. Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/PBIO...

Another great paper in the Phytovirome special issue! Ecological Connectivity of Plant Communities for Red Blotch Disease Dynamics Revealed by the Dietary Profiles and Landscape-Level Movement of Spissistilus festinus | Phytobiomes Journal apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...

The Phytovirome | Phytobiomes Journal apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/full/10..... Schönegger et al. (2025) found that wild carrots harbored a greater diversity of virus taxa relative to farmed carrots and documented key differences in the virus communities of each host type.

Classical approaches to plant disease diagnosis assume one pathogen per disease. Betsy A. Alford et al. reexamine Fusarium oxysporum’s presumed role in chickpea wilt/yellowing on Ethiopian smallholder farms. Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/PBIO...

Microbial communities support plant health but engineering them for pest resistance is complex. Using host-guided selection, Laramy Enders et al. reduced aphid damage on tomatoes by up to 20%, revealing key insights. Learn more: doi.org/10.1094/PBIO...

SynCom studies need seed sterilization to ensure gnotobiotic conditions. J. Jacob Parnell et al. tested six protocols on two maize varieties, finding sterilization requirements depend on genotype and seed source. doi.org/10.1094/PBIO...

Incredibly proud to say that my first (mini)review and the first paper from only the Carter Lab is out now in @phytobiomesjournal.bsky.social! Kudos to grad student Dallas Moses for pulling together disparate studies on endohyphal bacteria in a focused way. apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/10.1094/...

In Western France, rapeseed fields with reduced Phelipanche ramosa parasitism showed fungal-driven suppression. Suppressive soils hinder attachment and induce necrosis, with Berkeleyomyces linked to the effect. Lisa Martinez et al. highlight potential control strategies. doi.org/10.1094/PBIO...