Investigating the metagenomics of the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere of the desert plant Senna italica and their role as plant growth promoting factors

Abstract

Natural microbial communities associated with desert plants are found in soils that face nutrient deficiencies and extreme environments, including salinity and drought. In this study, 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing was used to screen and identify bacterial assemblies associated with the desert plant Senna italica, obtained from diverse soil samples located in the Asfan region, northeast of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Several studies found Senna italica as a valuable medicinal plant for treating different diseases; however, a few studies were done on its association with bacterial communities under drought conditions. This study aimed to identify bacterial communities present in the drought soil environment of the Senna italica plants. To approach our goals, we applied metagenomic techniques, discovering a new bacterial strain beneficial for biotechnological applications. Our results showed that the analysis of the 16S rRNA sequences at the taxonomic phylum level detected 15 phyla of bacterial populations in the soil samples. The most prevalent was kept for further research. Our findings demonstrated that rhizospheric bacteria may be used as indicators of plant growth rate and survival ability in hostile environments. Studying the soil microbiome's taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity will facilitate identifying new candidates for biological agents that can be used to improve agricultural and industrial processes.