Drought response legacy of maize microbiome

This study examined the impact of drought on soil microbial communities, and how the microbiome's water availability history affected the performance of maize. In this experiment, two distinct soil communities were used to inoculate maize plants grown in ceramic soil under well-watered or water-limited conditions. After 10 weeks, these soils were used to inoculate a new generation of plants growing in fresh ceramic soil under two watering levels. Propagated soil communities were either exposed to the same watering level in both generations, or received the opposite watering treatment to determine the importance of drought legacy effects on soil microbiomes and their impact on plant performance.