Bacterial population dynamics after foliar fertilization of almond leaves

AIMS: To describe the effects of foliar fertilizer application on the bacterial populations of almond tree leaves. METHODS AND RESULTS: We applied a commercially available foliar fertilizer or a water control onto the leaves of almond trees and collected leaves after 1, 7, 14 and 56 days and examined their bacterial populations by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. After 1 day, we observed significant differences in 3 of the 4 predominant bacterial phyla, and 5 of the 13 predominant bacterial families. After 7 days, we observed significant differences in all of the predominant phyla, and 8 of the 13 predominant families. After 14 days, the number of significant differences decreased, and after 56 days only 2 of the 13 predominant families differed significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Foliar fertilization significantly altered the bacterial population structure of almond leaves as compared to the water control. While most of the observed perturbation was transient, significant differences remained after 56 days. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is the first report describing the effects of foliar fertilization on the bacterial populations of almond leaves and provides new insights as to how this process alters the leaf bacterial population structure.