Root hair driven rhizosphere microbiome assemblage and functional feedback on host plants

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The interaction of roots with their microbiome is instrumental for plant health and fitness. Understanding the molecular and genetic basis of root hair driven beneficial root-microbe interactions will enable to develop plants with superior performance on agricultural soils with poor nutrient availability and thus help to reduce mineral fertilizer application.The overall objective of the second phase of the SPP 2089 is to obtain a mechanistic understanding of root hair driven self-organization of the rhizosphere microbiome and its potential feedback on host root morphology, anatomy and gene expression. In this project, we will uncover the complexity of host root interactions with soil microbes by profiling and integration of the transcriptomes and microbiomes of different root types and root zones from genetically diverse root hair mutants under different soil texture (loam and sand) by RNA-sequencing and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. From these experiments, we will identify candidate genes interacting with keystone microbes. Moreover, we will determine morphological and anatomical properties of different root types as physiological trait correlations with candidate genes and keystone microbes. Furthermore, we will demonstrate spatial patterning of key genes and keystone microbes by fluorescent in situ visualization. Finally, we will derive synthetic communities from representative keystone microbes to validate their potential roles in gene regulation in maize. In parallel, we will identify novel mutants affected in genes regulating the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites interacting with microbes via our in-house reverse genetic resource BonnMu.