Comparative analysis of root associated microbes in tropical cultivated and weedy rice (Oryza spp.) and temperate cultivated rice.

ABSTRACT

Weedy rice is a major problem in paddy fields around the world. It is well known that weedy rice appears to grow faster and mature earlier than cultivated rice. It is possible that differences in the root microbial genetics are correlated with this characteristic. This study incorporated 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to study the microbial composition in the rhizosphere and endosphere of rice root. No significant difference was found between the microbiota associated with weedy and cultivated rice lines grown in the same field. It was found that the endosphere had less microbial diversity compared to the rhizosphere. The major groups of bacteria found in the endosphere are from the phylum Proteobacteria, Myxococcota, Chloroflexota, and Actinobacteria. In addition, by analyzing the microbiome of japonica rice grown in the field in a temperate climate, we found that despite differences in genotype and location, some bacterial taxa were found to be common and these members of the putative rice core microbiome can also be detected by in situ hybridization. The delineation of a core microbiome in the endosphere of rice suggests that these bacterial taxa might be important in the life cycle of a wide range of rice types.