Bacterial metagenomics of the Brassica rapa rhizosphere. Bacterial metagenomics of the Brassica rapa rhizosphere

Brassica rapa is an agriculturally important crop grown for oilseeds and several vegetable cultivars. Rhizosphere bacterial communities are able to promote increased plant growth (biomass, leaf area), though the mechanisms and taxa responsible are largely unclear. In a greenhouse timeseries experiment ranging fourteen days, B. rapa were grown in soil mixtures that were either autoclaved or amended with soil bacteria. Metagenome-reconstructed genomes (MAGs) of bacteria that are statistically more abundant in amended treatments during bacterial-community-induced plant growth promotion will be examined for their metabolic capabilities and potential interactions with hosts, as well as with other bacterial members they co-occur with. This approach aims to stimulate hypotheses of plant-bacterial interactions that may have agricultural applications.