Affiliation:
1. The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Jiangsu Provincial Key Lab for Solid Organic Waste Utilization, Key Lab of Organic‐Based Fertilizers of China, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Wastes, Educational Ministry Engineering Center of Resource‐saving Fertilizers Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing Jiangsu People's Republic of China
2. Nanjing Institute of Vegetable Science Nanjing Jiangsu People's Republic of China
Abstract
AbstractThe rhizosphere and phyllosphere of plants are home to a diverse range of microorganisms that play pivotal roles in ecosystem services. Consequently, plant growth‐promoting bacteria (PGPB) are extensively utilized as inoculants to enhance plant growth and boost productivity. Despite this, the interactions between the rhizosphere and phyllosphere, which are influenced by PGPB inoculation, have not been thoroughly studied to date. In this study, we inoculated Bacillus velezensis SQR9, a PGPB, into the bulk soil, rhizosphere or phyllosphere, and subsequently examined the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere using amplicon sequencing. Our results revealed that PGPB inoculation increased its abundance in the corresponding compartment, and all treatments demonstrated plant growth promotion effects. Further analysis of the sequencing data indicated that the presence of PGPB exerted a more significant impact on bacterial communities in both the rhizosphere and phyllosphere than in the inoculation compartment. Notably, the PGPB stimulated similar rhizosphere‐beneficial microbes regardless of the inoculation site. We, therefore, conclude that PGPB can promote plant growth both directly and indirectly through the interaction between the rhizosphere and phyllosphere, leading to the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms.