Endophytes Identification in Healthy and Ganoderma boninense Infected Oil Palm using Next Generation Sequencing

Abstract

Endophytes are known to play important roles in plant’s health and productivity. In oil palm (Elais guineensis) industries, endophytes have been studied for its potential as a biological control against destructive Basal Stem Rot (BSR) disease caused by G. boninense. However, due to the performance limitation of conventional microbiology method the endophytic community interaction towards the disease remain unclear. The increasing progress in sequencing technologies in recent years has shift the study approach of oil palm endophytes community particularly in the field area of metagenomics. In this study, Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) was used to investigate the pattern and composition of endophytes recovered directly from healthy and G. boninense infected oil palm. Comparative community analysis of oil palm endophytes showed that BSR disease resulted in relative abundance change on predominant fungal and bacterial endophytes such as Hypocrea, Talaromyces, and Penicillium as well as Pseudomonas, Burkholderia, and Pantoea. In infected oil palm, Hypocrea fungi and Pseudomonas bacteria showed to have relative abundance of 1.36 and 1.59 times higher than the healthy oil palm. Both of which were known to have biocontrol properties. In contrary, Ganoderma relative abundance was higher in healthy than in the infected oil palm. These compositions may indicate that the healthy oil palm endophytes community remain in a balanced antagonism state while the infected are the aftermath or responds of endophytes towards G. boninense infection. The specific interaction and role of oil palm endophytes communities towards BSR disease remain to be determined, though this study provides a snapshot of the effect of BSR disease towards the oil palm endophytes communities.