Revealing the active microbiome connected with the rhizosphere soil of maize plants in Ventersdorp, South Africa.

Olubukola Babalola,Adenike Amoo,Rebaona Molefe

doi:10.3897/bdj.9.e60245

Abstract

We conducted shotgun metagenomics sequencing of the maize rhizosphere and bulk soils in Ventersdorp, South Africa. Information on the structural composition and functional capabilities of microbial communities in the maize rhizosphere are provided by the data. Characterising the functional potentials of rhizosphere microbiomes gives an opportunity to link the microbiome to plant growth and health and provides the possibility of discovering new plant-beneficial genes that could enhance agricultural sustainability.

Highlights

Maize is one of South Africa's most economically-valuable crops
Microbial communities in the rhizosphere are recruited from the large and diverse pool of microbes in bulk soils through root exudate chemical signalling (Adedeji and Babalola 2020;Hartman and Tringe 2019). This has contributed to an increase in microbial activity and quantity in rhizosphere soils compared to bulk soils
Samples were collected from the maize rhizosphere (F3R1) and bulk (F3B1) soils to understand the microbial community structure, function and plant-beneficial genes in maize plantations

Summary

Introduction

Maize is one of South Africa's most economically-valuable crops. Globally, it fills the diets of billions of people with basic carbohydrates. Plants establish associations with soil microorganisms for various functions including nutrient cycling, stress tolerance and pathogen immunity (Liu et al 2019). The rhizosphere, which is the medium between plants and soil, has been labelled a 'hotspot' for new genes and biomolecules (Babalola et al 2020). Plant-root exudates generate nourishing conditions for microbial growth and attract a selection of soil microorganisms (Adedeji and Babalola 2020; Canarini et al 2019; Chukwuneme et al 2021).

Results

Conclusion