Vertical distribution of seed endophytic fungi in rice tissues

Using aseptic seedlings of rice variety HXS as the host plant, microbial inoculation was performed with a mixed endophytic bacterial suspension prepared from seeds of the Cd-high-accumulating rice Xiushui 134# (MXS) and the Cd-low-accumulating rice Y Liangyou 1# (MY) as the microbial inoculant. The inoculated plants underwent axenic sealed cultivation. After 21 days of cultivation, rice plant roots, stems, leaves, and corresponding rhizosphere soils were separately collected. DNA was extracted from all samples, followed by PCR amplification using the universal fungal primers ITS1F and ITS2R. The amplified products were purified, after which libraries were constructed and subjected to sequencing. This approach elucidated the distribution characteristics of seed-derived endophytic fungi in different rice tissues (roots, stems, leaves) and their corresponding rhizosphere soils.