‘Fengtang’ plum is increasingly cultivated in southern China under mountain cultivation conditions, which involve lower temperatures, higher irradiance, and thinner soils. These conditions may uniquely shape the rhizosphere microbiome and influence tree health, yet their effects remain poorly understood. This study aimed to characterize the structural and taxonomic characteristics of the rhizosphere microbial community of ‘Fengtang’ plum grown under mountain cultivation conditions, and to identify key microbial groups associated with plant growth. We performed 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing on rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil samples from ‘Fengtang’ plum orchards. Significant differences in α-diversity and β-diversity were observed between rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere communities. Dominant bacterial phyla included Pseudomonadota, Actinobacteriota, Acidobacteriota, and Chloroflexi; Ascomycota and Basidiomycota dominated in fungal communities. Dominant microbial groups were consistent across phylum, class, and order levels. Beneficial genera such as Streptomyces, Bacillus, and Rhizobium were enriched in the rhizosphere, and are considered putative core functional genera based on their known plant-growth-promoting traits. The microbial community in the rhizosphere shows distinct compositional patterns that may be linked to microecological balance. This study seeks to provide a comprehensive perspective for understanding the microbial communities associated with the plum tree rhizosphere.
Xiao et al. (Sat,) studied this question.