High-throughput sequencing-based analysis of the composition and diversity of endophytic bacterial community in seeds of upland rice

Upland rice is an ecotype crop resulting from the long-term domestication and evolution of rice in dry land without a water layer. Generally, the stems and leaves are thick and luxuriant, while the leaves also typically broad and light. The root system is developed with abundant root hair, and the osmotic pressure of the root and cell juice concentration in the leaves is high, while this plant is drought-resistant, heat-resistant, and water absorbent. This study aims to reveal the core flora of the endophytes in upland rice seeds by examining their diversity and community structures. It further intends to reveal the impact of the soil environment on the formation of endophyte community structures in upland rice seeds by comparing the environmental soil microorganisms in upland rice habitats. In this study, high-throughput sequencing technology based on the Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform was used to investigate the structure and diversity of endophytic bacterial communities using upland rice varieties collected from different locations and soil samples from unified planting sites as materials. Here, 42 endophytic OTUs were found to coexist in the 14 samples. At the phylum level, the first dominant phyla in all the samples were Proteobacteria (93.81-99.99%). At the genus level,Pantoea(8.77-87.77%),Pseudomonas(1.15-61.58%),Methylobacterium(0.40-4.64%),Sphingomonas(0.26-3.85%),Microbacterium(0.01-4.67%) andAurantimonas(0.04-4.34%), which represent the core microflora in upland rice seeds, served as the dominant genera that coexisted in all the upland rice seeds tested. This study significant for the isolation, screening, functional evaluation, and re-action of various functional microorganisms in upland rice to improve its agronomic traits. It also provides a specific reference for the interaction between microorganisms and plants.

Automated summary

Upland rice is an ecotype crop that is drought-resistant, heat-resistant, and water absorbent, developed through long-term domestication and evolution on dry land. This study aims to reveal the core flora of endophytes in upland rice seeds and the impact of soil environment on their community structures. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to investigate the structure and diversity of endophytic bacterial communities, providing valuable insights for improving agronomic traits and understanding microorganism-plant interactions.