Chlorella, a microalga renowned for its high protein and lipid content, is extensively used as a biofertilizer due to its plant growth promotion and disease suppression capabilities. To reveal, Chlorella-microbiome-plant communication, in-depth microbiota structure and network analyses were conducted. As a result, keystone taxa, which are microbial element in interaction with Chlorella, keystone taxa (Psedomonas, Duganella, Brevibacterium) interaction with C. fusca CHK0059 within plant hosts were identified. Here, however, the mechanistic insights into these interactions remain limited. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the characteristics of keystone taxa to elucidate Chlorella effects on plants. By applying various substances, including Chlorella, Chlorella methanol extract (methanol extract), and D-mannitol, we observed changes in microbial distribution and diversity, with a notable increase in Pseudomonas abundance following 2% D-mannitol treatment. Additionally, we assessed the impact of Chlorella on plant growth and disease suppression, finding that a synthetic community (SynCom) of keystone taxa exhibited enhanced antifungal effects against Fusarium oxysporum in both strawberry and tomato, compared to individual strains. The findings in this study suggested the fundamental data that the SynCom can contribute to the mechanism of action of C. fusca CHK0059 and expect to maximize the effect of Chlorella when combined.
Lee et al. (2026) studied this question.