Differences in Microbial Communities and Functional Analysis Among Different Pinus massoniana Strains Against Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

The selection and utilization of resistant Pinus massoniana strains represent one of the critical measures for the ecological management of pine wilt disease.To explore the microbial basis of Pinus massoniana resistant strain, tolerant and resistant P.massoniana strains were used as experimental treatments, with susceptible strains serving as controls.Metagenomic sequencing was employed to analyze differences in microbial communities between tolerant and resistant strains.The results revealed significant variations in microbial community composition among strains with different resistance levels: tolerant strains were predominantly colonized by Enterobacterales and Bacillales.Susceptible strains were primarily associated with Hyphomicrobiales.Resistant strains exhibited dominance of Solirubrobacterales, Corynebacteriales, Pseudonocardiales and Propionibacteriales.Compared to susceptible strains, tolerant strains showed significantly reduced abundances of Alpha-and Beta-proteobacteria, with microbial functions mainly linked to cell growth/death regulation and cell motility.Resistant strains demonstrated markedly lower Alpha-proteobacteria abundance, with microbial functions enriched in senescence regulation, amino acid metabolism, biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, and carbohydrate metabolism.These findings can provide a reference for resistance breeding programs against pine wilt disease.