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Freshwater bodies are critical components of terrestrial ecosystems. The microbial communities of freshwater ecosystems are intimately linked water quality. These microbes interact with, utilize and recycle inorganic elements and organic matter. Here, we present three metagenomic sequence datasets (total of 182.9 Gbp) from different freshwater environments in Israel. The first dataset is from diverse freshwater bodies intended for different usages – a nature reserve, irrigation and aquaculture facilities, a tertiary wastewater treatment plant and a desert rainfall reservoir. The second represents a two-year time-series, collected during 2013–2014 at roughly monthly intervals, from a water reservoir connected to an aquaculture facility. The third is from several time-points during the winter and spring of 2015 in Lake Kinneret, including a bloom of the cyanobacterium Microcystis sp. These datasets are accompanied by physical, chemical, and biological measurements at each sampling point. We expect that these metagenomes will facilitate a wide range of comparative studies that seek to illuminate new aspects of freshwater microbial ecosystems and inform future water quality management approaches. Measurement(s) pH measurement • temperature of water • concentration of oxygen in water • total phosphorus • ammonia • concentration of nitrate in water • concentration of nitrite in water • concentration of chlorophyll a in water • concentration of chlorophyll b in water • concentration of beta-carotene in water • concentration of fucoxanthin in water • Dinoxanthin • Diadinoxanthin • Diatoxanthin • concentration of zeaxanthin in water • concentration of lutein in water • microcystin-LR • library DNA concentration Technology Type(s) pH Meter • Temperature Probe Device • electron spin resonance oximetry • colorimetry • colorimetry • liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection • liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection • microcystins/Nodularins ADDA Elisa • PicoGreen Dye Factor Type(s) Geographic location • Isolaion source • Depth • latitude • longitude Sample Characteristic - Environment freshwater biome Sample Characteristic - Location Israel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russeting of smooth-skinned potato varieties affect the protective characteristics of the skin against water loss and pathogens invasion. A distinctive russeting disorder, differs from previously reported tuber blemishes, has been observed in the Negev area of Israel and was named 'Magen russeting' after one of the repeatedly affected plots. The russeted skin appears as protruding dark-brown patches on the surface of the tubers. Histological studies identified the russet as old skin cells that remain adhered to the newly formed skin layers below them. Phytopathological tests and rDNA pyrosequencing analysis for whole bacterial community suggested that 'Magen russeting' is a physiological disorder. Mineral analysis of isolated pure skin samples indicated that russeted skin areas have higher concentrations of Ca and lower concentrations of K than the smooth skin of normal tubers, irrespective of CaCl or KCl fertilization of the soil prior to sowing, or of the irrigation regime during the growing season. Nevertheless, application of CaCl prior to tuber-seed sowing reduces the rate of affected mature tubers and the severity of the russeting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of biostimulants with plant growth-promoting properties, but without significant input of nutrients, is discussed as a strategy to increase stress resistance and nutrient use efficiency of crops. However, limited reproducibility under real production conditions remains a major challenge. The use of combination products based on microbial and non-microbial biostimulants or microbial consortia, with the aim to exploit complementary or synergistic interactions and increase the flexibility of responses under different environmental conditions, is discussed as a potential strategy to overcome this problem. This study aimed at comparing the efficiency of selected microbial single-strain inoculants with proven plant-growth promoting potential versus consortium products under real production conditions in large-scale tomato cultivation systems, exposed to different environmental challenges. In a protected greenhouse production system at Timisoara, Romania, with composted cow manure, guano, hair-, and feather-meals as major fertilizers, different fungal and bacterial single-strain inoculants, as well as microbial consortium products, showed very similar beneficial responses. Nursery performance, fruit setting, fruit size distribution, seasonal yield share, and cumulative yield (39–84% as compared to the control) were significantly improved over two growing periods. By contrast, superior performance of the microbial consortia products (MCPs) was recorded under more challenging environmental conditions in an open-field drip-fertigated tomato production system in the Negev desert, Israel with mineral fertilization on a high pH (7.9), low fertility, and sandy soil. This was reflected by improved phosphate (P) acquisition, a stimulation of vegetative shoot biomass production and increased final fruit yield under conditions of limited P supply. Moreover, MCP inoculation was associated with selective changes of the rhizosphere-bacterial community structure particularly with respect to Sphingobacteriia and Flavobacteria, reported as salinity indicators and drought stress protectants. Phosphate limitation reduced the diversity of bacterial populations at the root surface (rhizoplane) and this effect was reverted by MCP inoculation, reflecting the improved P status of the plants. The results support the hypothesis that the use of microbial consortia can increase the efficiency and reproducibility of BS-assisted strategies for crop production, particularly under challenging environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]