Background and aim
Rhizosphere function is the key determinant of crop growth and fitness under moisture-stress conditions. Human-centered breeding adversely affects microbiome recruitment of crops. Hence, during drought, wild types and landraces adapt to stress, while modern cultivars and hybrids fail to do so and are susceptible to drought. Understanding the rhizosphere difference between landraces and cultivars will help to improve microbiome-mediated drought mitigation.
Methods
We compared rhizospheres of rice landrace, Norungan, and high-yielding cultivar, Co51, grown under normal moisture and drought-induced conditions using soil biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach.
Results
Soil carbon pools, enzymes, and respiration were adversely affected due to drought in both genotypes' rhizospheres. However, Norungan rhizosphere accounted for less harm to the soil attributes than Co51. Reduction in soil organic carbon (3.94%), microbial biomass carbon (14.26%), labile carbon (1.94%), dehydrogenase (10.1%), urease (21.27%), phosphatase (9.61%), and respiration rate (15.02%) was accounted in Co51 than Norungan, during drought. Alpha diversity of bacterial communities in rice's rhizosphere was significantly lower than in bulk soil, and drought further reduced the diversity in both genotypes. Moisture-stress reduced the abundance of Firmicutes (180%) and Bacteroidetes (57%) in Norungan's rhizosphere, while, Acidobacteria (51%), Actinobacteria (54%), Chlolorflexi (41%), and Proteobacteria (34%) got increased. On the other hand, Co51 rhizosphere acquired an enhanced abundance of Firmicutes (79%) and Bacteriodetes (170%) and lessened abundance of Acidobacteria (15%) and Proteobacteria (31%) due to drought.
Conclusion
These results suggest that landrace Norungan under moisture-stress conditions recruits less-diversified, specific groups of microorganisms to augment rhizosphere functioning.