Assemblage of rhizosphere microbiome contributes to disparate performance of two ecotypes of rice under Al stress. plant

Rice exhibits varying responses to Al toxicity influenced by factors such as metal ion concentration, species, and genotype. This study aims to investigated the assemblage of root-associated microbial communities in aluminum-tolerant (Al-T) and aluminum-sensitive (Al-S) rice genotypes and their potential beneficial roles subjected to Al stress. Our results showed that under Al stress, Al-T selectively promoted the growth of specific microorganisms, forming more concentrated microbial communities compared to Al-S. In addition, endosphere microorganisms of Al-T responded to Al stress by reducing microbial abundance and diversity. Despite the decrease in abundance and diversity, the rhizosphere microbiome of Al-T showed a more complex and stable symbiotic network with endosphere microorganisms. Furthermore, we found a stronger correlation between the complexity of rhizosphere microbial community in Al-T and the microbial network complexity compared to Al-S. Additionally, our study revealed the key roles of microbial functions, such as indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) synthesis, phosphorus (P) solubilization, and nitrogen fixation, in both Al-T and Al-S rice genotypes. In conclusion, this study provides new insights into understanding how plants adapt to abiotic stress and highlights the important role of microorganisms in this process.