Amazing stuff!
"An Australian study has revealed an ingenious tactic used by wheat to withstand drought conditions – it calls in reinforcements.
The plant sends out a chemical signal to attract specialised soil bacteria which release beneficial compounds that help it resist drought and continue to grow. ...
[team] revealed that, under drought conditions, wheat releases the compound 4-oxoproline from its roots to recruit the bacteria Streptomyces coeruleorubidus and Leifsonia shinshuensis which produce osmolytes – which preserve osmotic balance in cells – plant hormones, and nutrient solubilisers.
When the research team reintroduced these microbes to wheat plants in dry soils, the plants grew bigger, stayed healthier, and produced more grain, even in the next generation of crops. ...
“S. coeruleorubidus enhances wheat drought resistance by promoting plant biomass and yield through multiple mechanisms,” the authors write, “including increased hydrogen peroxide contents in the leaves, increased leaf stomatal density, and upregulated drought-resistant genes in wheat leaves.” ..."
From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• Drought enriches Streptomyces and Leifsonia spp. in the plant microbiome
• Plant-produced 4-oxoproline recruits beneficial microbes under drought conditions
• Microbial rimJ gene is linked to drought response and plant metabolite levels
• Microbial reintroduction improves plant drought resistance and yield
Summary
Plant-microbiome interactions are crucial in maintaining plant health and productivity under stress; however, little is known about these interactions under drought.
Here, using wheat as a model, we combine genomics and culture-dependent methods to investigate the interactions between the soil, root, and rhizosphere microbiomes with rhizosphere metabolomes and plant phenotypes.
We find that drought conditions promote microbial colonization in plant microbiomes, enriching Streptomyces coeruleorubidus and Leifsonia shinshuensis, while also increasing 4-oxoproline levels in the rhizosphere, potentially attracting S. coeruleorubidus.
Consistently, genes facilitating microbial responses to drought, including the N-terminal acetyltransferase rimJ, are enriched, while S. coeruleorubidus and L. shinshuensis reintroduction promotes host drought resistance. Drought-legacy-effect experiments further support these benefits, with increased plant biomass and yield in the subsequent growth cycle under drought. Collectively, this study informs how drought-induced microbial and metabolite enrichments improve plant adaptation to abiotic stresses, potentially informing development of bio-based tools to mitigate drought effects."
Drought-induced plant microbiome and metabolic enrichments improve drought resistance (no public access)
Graphical abstract
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