HOST MICROBIOME INTERACTIONS IN CULTIVATED RICE

The project will enhance knowledge of microbiome functions to manage crop cultivation on agricultural land and to utilize microbiota for better drought tolerance, and provide the mechanistic understanding required to harness the potential of microbial communities to increase crop yields. Using cultivated rice as a model, the project will:1. Investigate the contribution of root microbiota to plant-soil feedback from continuous cultivation.2. Perform functional characterization of bacterial species that are enriched inside roots by drought, and their potential roles in providing drought tolerance and recovery after drought stress.3. Use synthetic communities to decipher the interactions between bacterial microbiota and the host plant and identify mechanisms for microbiome assembly and establishment.