Supporting data for "Taxonomic structure and functional association of foxtail millet root microbiome"

The root microbes play pivotal roles in plant productivity, nutrient uptakes and disease resistance. The root microbial community structure has been extensively investigated by 16S/18S/ITS amplicons and metagenomic sequencing in crops and model plants. However, the functional associations between root microbes and host plant growth are poorly understood. This work investigates the root bacterial community of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and its potential effects on host plant productivity. <br>
We determined the bacterial composition of 2,882 samples from foxtail millet rhizoplane, rhizosphere and corresponding bulk soils from two well-separated geographic locations by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. We identified 16,109 OTUs, and defined 187 OTUs as shared rhizoplane core OTUs. The -diversity analysis revealed that microhabitat was the major factor shaping foxtail millet root bacterial community, followed by geographic locations. Large-scale association analysis identified the potential beneficial bacteria correlated with plant high productivity. Besides, the functional prediction revealed specific pathways enriched in foxtail millet rhizoplane bacterial community.

根系微生物在植物生产力、养分吸收与抗病性中发挥关键作用。目前学界已通过16S/18S/ITS扩增子与宏基因组测序技术，针对作物及模式植物的根系微生物群落结构开展了广泛研究。然而，根系微生物与宿主植物生长之间的功能关联仍未得到充分解析。本研究聚焦谷子（Setaria italica）的根系细菌群落，探究其对宿主植物生产力的潜在影响。
本研究通过16S rRNA基因扩增子测序，对来自两个地理隔离样区的谷子根面、根际及对应非根际土壤的2882份样本进行了细菌组成分析。我们共鉴定得到16109个操作分类单元（OTU, Operational Taxonomic Unit），并将其中187个定义为共享根面核心OTU。α多样性分析结果显示，微生境是塑造谷子根系细菌群落的首要驱动因素，其次为地理区位。大规模关联分析鉴定得到与植物高生产力显著相关的潜在有益细菌。此外，功能预测结果揭示了谷子根面细菌群落中富集的特异性代谢通路。