P-632 - Exploiting plant-microbiome interactions for enhanced plant disease resistance

The interactions between plants, microbiomes, and pathogens within the phytobiome influence infection outcomes, disease severity, immunity, and plant productivity. While progress has been made in understanding plant immunity and disease mechanisms, the molecular basis of how these interactions shape the plant microbiome assembly—and how the resulting microbiome impacts plant health—remains poorly understood.  We aim to decipher the mechanisms by which the host immune system regulates the leaf microbiota assembly and how the microbiome composition modulates plant immunity.  Our initial study focuses on resistance controlled by recessive rice genes that are sugar transporter: OsSWEET genes. OsSWEET transporters facilitate the movement of photosynthetically produced sugars to various plant parts, including regions where symbiotic and non-symbiotic microbes reside. Pathogen effectors activate these genes to induce plant disease; lack of activation results in resistance. We hypothesize that changes in sucrose leakage control the leaf microbiome structure during disease and defense. We are using edited lines that prevent expression of OsSWEET genes to discern how changes in sugar availability affect the structure and diversity of the rice microbiome during resistant and susceptible interactions and under infected and noninfected conditions. This research will deepen our understanding of plant-microbiome interactions and offer a foundation for developing microbiome-targeted strategies to improve rice yields and resilience, addressing critical challenges in global food security.