DATE PALM MICROBIOME

The root system of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) has been selected to evaluate the date selection process on the bacterial community enrollment in oasis ecosystem. The plants were cultivated in seven oases using traditional management practices. The selected oases were characterized by different climatic conditions, along a longitudinal-latitudinal transect in Tunisia. We used high-throughput sequencing techniques to investigate the bacterial community naturally associated to the root system (root tissues and rhizosphere) as well as to the bulk soil of oases. Bacterial community assemblages, diversity, interactions and its predicted metabolisms have been also evaluated to understand how date palm drives the selection of the associated microbiota across oasis ecosystems.