Soybean root nodule and rhizosphere microbiome

In this project, we have assessed the microbiome of 195 soybean root nodules from nine different plants. The bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced using Illumina paired-end DNA sequencing. On average 22 root nodules per plant were randomly selected across the entire root system to assess the diversity of bacterial endophytes. The soybeans seeds were planted in the Kindrick Farm, which has corn, soybean, and wheat cropping history. Three locations were selected within the farm were toe slope, sinkhole 1, and sinkhole 2. From each location, triplicate plants were excavated and an intact root system containing root nodules and rhizosphere soil were brought into the laboratory. Individual root nodules (195) and rhizosphere soil were used for the DNA exaction and bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced using Illumina paired-end DNA sequencing.