Soybean root-nodule microbiome based on 16S and nifH sequencing

Soybean drives its nitrogen needs from helper bacteria that live in their root nodules, forming a symbiotic relationship. These bacteria fix nitrogen in return for plant produced carbon. Nitrogen-fixation is sensitive to abiotic stresses such as water-deficit, and effects of impairment in this process can extend to the plant health and yield. In this experiment, nine different cultivars of soybean were grown in a field. The plants were subjected to two different irrigation treatments. Both the overall microbial communities and the nitrogen-fixing communities were surveyed using 16S and nifH amplicon sequencing, respectively. The aim of this project is to understand the structure and composition of these communities, and how the soybean nodule-microbiome interactions respond to environmental perturbations.

大豆通过定殖于根瘤中的助生细菌获取自身所需氮素，二者形成互利共生关系。这类细菌通过生物固氮为大豆供应氮源，同时换取植物合成的碳源作为营养回报。生物固氮过程对水分亏缺等非生物胁迫极为敏感，该过程受损会进一步影响大豆的健康状态与籽粒产量。本试验于田间种植了9个不同栽培品种的大豆，并设置了两种灌溉处理模式。研究团队分别采用16S扩增子测序与nifH扩增子测序，对大豆根瘤内的整体微生物群落与固氮微生物群落进行了调查分析。本项目的核心目标为解析上述两类群落的结构与组成，以及大豆根瘤-微生物组互作如何响应环境扰动。