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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Plant Gene Expression Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #414624
Research Project: Enhancing Crop Resilience to Biotic and Abiotic Stress Through Understanding the Microbiome and Immune Signaling Mechanisms

Location: Plant Gene Expression Center

Title: Sorghum rhizosphere bacteriome studies and generation of multistrain beneficial bacterial consortia

Author
item KUMAR, CHANDAN - International Centre For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology (ICGEB)
item ESPOSITO, ALONSO - International Centre For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology (ICGEB)
item BERTANI, IRIS - International Centre For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology (ICGEB)
item MUSONERIMANA, SAMSON - Institute Of Agronomic Sciences Of Burundi (ISABU)
item MIDEKSSA, MULISSA - Bio And Emerging Technology Institute (BETIN)
item TESFAYE, KASSAHUN - Addis Ababa University
item Coleman-Derr, Devin
item DONALDSON, LARA - International Centre For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology (ICGEB)
item PIAZZA, SILVANO - International Centre For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology (ICGEB)
item BEZ, CRISTINA - International Centre For Genetic Engineering And Biotechnology (ICGEB)
item VENTURI, VITTORIO - University Of Trieste

Submitted to: Microbiological Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/19/2024
Publication Date: 1/4/2025
Citation: Kumar, C., Esposito, A., Bertani, I., Musonerimana, S., Midekssa, M., Tesfaye, K., Coleman-Derr, D.A., Donaldson, L., Piazza, S., Bez, C., Venturi, V. 2025. Sorghum rhizosphere bacteriome studies and generation of multistrain beneficial bacterial consortia. Microbiological Research. 292. Article 128036. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2024.128036.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2024.128036

Interpretive Summary: Microbes are important players in every ecological niche and recently they are being widely studied for their ability to promote plant growth and health. The microbial habitat of the soil around the root is called the rhizosphere. Plant roots recruit their rhizosphere microbiome from the soil (highest microbial biodiversity on earth), but the complex dynamics of interactions and signaling taking place within the rhizosphere remain still largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify and then isolate a set of key beneficial bacterial strains (core and keystone bacterial strains) associated with the sorghum rhizosphere, regardless of host-plant genotype, location, climate, and soil type.

Technical Abstract: This study focuses on designing synthetic bacterial consortia using key bacterial strains isolated from the sorghum rhizosphere microbiome. A large set of samples of the rhizosphere bacteriome of Sorghum bicolor was analyzed across various genotypes and geographical locations. 16S rRNA amplicon community profiling assessed the structure of the sorghum root-associated community, identifying key taxa and core-bacterial components. A set of 321 bacterial strains was then isolated, and three multi-strain consortia were designed by combining growth/culturable and microbiome-derived information. Their co-existence and plant-growth promoting ability was then tested in vitro and in planta. This study aims at translating microbiome knowledge into applications by designing and testing microbiome-based multi-strain bacterial consortia in promoting sorghum growth.