The response of soil and phyllosphere microbial communities to repeated application of the fungicide iprodione: accelerated biodegradation or toxicity?

ABSTRACT Pesticides interact with microorganisms in various ways with the outcome being negative or positive for the soil microbiota. Pesticides' effects on soil microorganisms have been studied extensively in soil but not in other pesticides-exposed microbial habitats like the phyllosphere. We tested the hypothesis that soil and phyllosphere support distinct microbial communities, but exhibit a similar response (accelerated biodegradation or toxicity) to repeated exposure to the fungicide iprodione. Pepper plants received four repeated foliage or soil applications of iprodione, which accelerated its degradation in soil (DT50_1st = 1.23 and DT50_4th = 0.48 days) and on plant leaves (DT50_1st > 365 and DT50_4th = 5.95 days). The composition of the epiphytic and soil bacterial and fungal communities, determined by amplicon sequencing, was significantly altered by iprodione. The archaeal epiphytic and soil communities responded differently; the former showed no response to iprodione. Three iprodione-degrading Paenarthrobacter strains were isolated from soil and phyllosphere. They hydrolyzed iprodione to 3,5-dichloraniline via the formation of 3,5-dichlorophenyl-carboxiamide and 3,5-dichlorophenylurea-acetate, a pathway shared by other soil-derived arthrobacters implying a phylogenetic specialization in iprodione biotransformation. Our results suggest that iprodione-repeated application could affect soil and epiphytic microbial communities with implications for the homeostasis of the plant–soil system and agricultural production.