Growth period and variety together drive the succession of phyllosphere microbial communities of grapevine

Phyllosphere microbes play a crucial role in plant health and productivity. However, the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on these communities is poorly understood. Here, we used amplicon sequencing to investigate the microbiome variations across eight grape cultivars and three distinct leaf ages. The diversity and richness of phyllosphere microbiomes were significantly affected by cultivars and leaf age. Young leaves of most grape cultivars had a higher diversity. Beta-diversity analyses revealed notable differences in microbial communities across leaf ages, with bacterial communities varying substantially between cultivars. The main bacterial genera included Staphylococcus, Exiguobacterium, Acinetobacter, Enterococcus, and Erwinia; the principal fungal genera were Cladosporium, Moesziomyces, Alternaria, Didymella, and Coprinellus across all samples. LEfSe analysis revealed significant differences in bacterial and fungal biomarkers at different leaf ages, with no biomarkers identified among different cultivars. Fungal biomarkers were more abundant than bacterial at three leaf ages, and older leaves had more fungal biomarkers. Notably, beneficial microbial taxa with biocontrol potential were present on the phyllosphere at 45 d, whereas certain fungal groups associated with increased disease risk were first detected at 100 d. The bacterial network was more complex than the fungal network, and young leaves had a more complex network in most cultivars. Our study elucidated the dynamics of early grape phyllosphere microbes, providing valuable insights for early detection and prediction of grape diseases and a foundation for leveraging the grape leaf microbiome for agricultural purposes.