Root growth and rhizosphere bacterial community of soybean intercropped with sugarcane mediated with the Ea-DREB2B gene. Alphaproteobacteria

Strategies involving DREB (dehydration-responsive element binding protein) genes and the intercropping of legumes are becoming prominent options in promoting sustainable agriculture in sugarcane. In fact, more studies regarding root interactions in intercropping systems, particularly of transgenic crops, are being conducted to enable the harnessing of beneficial soil microbes to futher assist plant growth.We conducted pot experiments to investigate two intercropping patterns, sugarcane-soybean (interspecific mutual benefit) and sugarcane-sugarcane (intraspecific competition), with sugarcane as the control. To evaluate the effect of intercropping transgenic (TG) sugarcane-compared to wild type (WT) sugarcane with soybean, we assessed the rhizosphere microbiota responses to the different cropping patterns.