Metabolic and Genomic Traits of Phytobeneficial Phenazine-Producing<i>Pseudomonas</i>spp. Are Linked to Rhizosphere Colonization in<i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>and<i>Solanum tuberosum</i>

Abstract

Rhizosphere colonization is crucial for plant growth promotion and biocontrol by antibiotic-producing Pseudomonas spp. This colonization process relies on different bacterial determinants which partly remain to be uncovered. In this study, we combined a metabolic and a genomic approach to decipher new rhizosphere colonization determinants which could improve our understanding of this process in Pseudomonas spp. Using 60 distinct strains of phenazine-producing Pseudomonas spp., we show that rhizosphere colonization abilities correlated with both metabolic and genomic traits when these bacteria were inoculated on two distant plants, Arabidopsis thaliana and Solanum tuberosum . Key metabolic and genomic determinants presumably required for efficient colonization of both plant species were identified. Upon further validation, these targets could lead to the development of simple screening tests to rapidly identify efficient rhizosphere colonizers.