Deciphering composition and function of the root microbiome of a legume plant

Diverse assemblages of microbes colonize plant roots and collectively function as a microbiome. Earlier work has characterized the root microbiomes of numerous plant species, but little information is available for legumes despite their key role in numerous ecosystems. Legumes form a root nodule symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing Rhizobia bacteria and thereby account for large, natural nitrogen inputs into soils. Here, we describe the root bacteria microbiome of the legume Trifolium pratense combining culture-dependent and independent methods.For a functional understanding of individual microbiome members and their impact on plant growth, we began to inoculate root microbiome members alone or in combination to Trifolium roots.