Metatranscritpmics analysis of Musa endophytic microbiomes

Microbiomes are essential for plant health, but they are still not well understood. In bananas (Musa spp.), the endosphere microbiome is especially important because bananas and plantains are major global food crops that are increasingly threatened by serious diseases. Domestication and clonal propagation may have reduced their natural protective microbes, while wild Musa species may still carry beneficial microbiomes that could help improve disease resistance. In this study, we used metatranscriptomics to compare active microbial functions in the root and leaf endospheres of seven Musa genotypes, including both wild and cultivated varieties grown in the same environment. Our goal was to understand how different host plants shape the functional activity of their microbiomes.