Plant host and drought shape the root associated fungal microbiome in rice. rice fungal microbiota

Water is an increasingly scarce resource while some crops, such as paddy rice, require large amounts of water to maintain grain production. A better understanding of rice drought adaptation mechanisms could help to reduce this problem. There is increasing evidence for a possible role of root-associated fungi in drought adaptation. We have analysed the root fungal microbial community in rice and its relationship with drought tolerance is highlighted.Hereto, fifteen rice cultivars (Oryza sativa ssp. indica) were grown in the field, under well-watered conditions or exposed to a drought period during flowering. The effect of this treatment on the root-associated fungi was analysed by 18S ribosomal DNA sequencing. Grain yield and plant biomass of the cultivars were determined after plant maturation.There was a host genotype effect on the fungal community composition, with drought treatment inducing changes in the root-associated fungal community and increased the fungal biodiversity. The majority of OTUs belonged to the Pezizomycotina Subphylum.This study shows that drought changes the root-associated fungal community in rice, that the host genotype affects the fungal community structure, and that some fungi maybe associated with improved drought tolerance.

水资源正日益匮乏，而水稻等部分作物需消耗大量水分以保障籽粒产量。深入解析水稻的干旱适应机制，有助于缓解这一困境。已有越来越多的证据表明，根系相关真菌可能在水稻干旱适应过程中发挥作用。本研究针对水稻根系真菌群落展开分析，并着重探讨其与耐旱性的关联。为此，本研究选取15个水稻栽培品种（Oryza sativa ssp. indica，籼型稻），在田间条件下分别设置正常灌水与开花期干旱胁迫两种处理。采用18S核糖体DNA测序技术，分析该处理对根系相关真菌群落的影响；待植株成熟后，测定各品种的籽粒产量与植株生物量。研究结果显示，宿主基因型对真菌群落组成存在显著影响；干旱胁迫处理会改变水稻根系相关真菌群落结构，并提升真菌群落的生物多样性。绝大多数操作分类单元（Operational Taxonomic Units，OTUs）隶属于盘菌亚门（Pezizomycotina）。本研究证实，干旱胁迫会改变水稻根系相关真菌群落；宿主基因型可影响真菌群落结构；部分真菌或与水稻耐旱性提升存在关联。