Abstract
The impacts of rice varieties with stacked drought tolerance and insect resistance on soil microbiomes are poorly understood. Hence, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects resulting from the cultivation of the drought-tolerant and insect-resistant rice cultivar, Hanhui3T, on soil physical–chemical properties, and bacterial and fungal community composition. Soil samples of Hanhui3T and conventional rice varieties (Hanhui3 and Zhonghua11) were collected in triplicate at the booting stage, and bacterial and fungal population sizes and community structures were assessed using qPCR and Illumina MiSeq sequencing, respectively. The Bt protein concentration of Hanhui3T was significantly higher than that of Hanhui3 and Zhonghua11, while the pH of Hanhui3T was significantly lower. Bacterial population sizes and community composition were significantly different between Hanhui3T and Hanhui3 (or Zhonghua11), while no similar effects were observed for fungal communities. These differences suggest that the effect of Hanhui3T cultivation on bacterial community composition is stronger than the effect on fungal communities. Moreover, bacterial abundance was positively correlated to soil pH, while bacterial community structure variations were mainly driven by soil pH and Bt protein concentration differences. In conclusion, the abundances and structure of bacterial communities were altered in rhizosphere with Hanhui3T cultivation that changed soil pH and Bt protein concentrations, while fungal communities displayed no such responsiveness.
Highlights
The rhizosphere represents a hot spot for microbial activity and constitutes one of the most complex ecosystems on earth, with numerous complex interactions with neighboring plants and microbes (Mendes et al, 2013)
Cultivation of drought-tolerant and insect-resistant rice resulted in increased soil Bt protein content
Soil pH is commonly regarded as the primary variable responsible for soil bacterial community changes, our results indicated that the impacts of other environmental variables on bacterial community composition varied with soil samples
Summary
The rhizosphere represents a hot spot for microbial activity and constitutes one of the most complex ecosystems on earth, with numerous complex interactions with neighboring plants and microbes (Mendes et al, 2013). Plant root exudates initiate and modulate the relationships between roots and soil microbes, whereby the quantity and quality of root exudates are determined by GM Rice Affects Soil Bacteria plant genotypes (Badri and Vivanco, 2009). These relationships are often specific, indicating that changes in plant genotypes impact the association of specific microbial groups with plants, and altering the abundance and composition of the rhizosphere microbiome. There has been a remarkable decline in crop planting area and food production in areas with continued deterioration of drought conditions brought about by climate change (Clive, 2016). The development of biotech crops with multiple favorable traits, such as drought and insect resistance, has increased dramatically, and rapid approval of these crops is needed
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