Effects of Rehydration on Bacterial Diversity in the Rhizosphere of Broomcorn Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) after Drought Stress at the Flowering Stage

Abstract

This study aimed to elucidate responses of the bacterial structure and diversity of the rhizosphere in flowering broomcorn millet after rehydration following drought stress. In this study, the broomcorn millet varieties ‘Hequ red millet’ (A1) and ‘Yanshu No.10′ (A2), known for their different drought tolerance levels, were selected as experimental materials. The plants were subjected to rehydration after drought stress at the flowering stage, while normal watering (A1CK and A2CK) served as the control. Soil samples were collected at 10 days (A11, A21, A1CK1, and A2CK1) and 20 days (A12, A22, A1CK2, and A2CK2) after rehydration. High-throughput sequencing technology was employed to investigate the variations in bacterial community structure, diversity, and metabolic functions in the rhizosphere of the broomcorn millet at different time points following rehydration. The findings indicated that the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of bacteria in the rhizosphere of broomcorn millet were notably influenced by the duration of treatment, with a significant decrease in OTUs observed after 20 days of rehydration. However, bacterial Alpha diversity was not significantly impacted by rehydration following drought stress. The bacterial community in the rhizosphere of broomcorn millet was mainly composed of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. After rewatering for 10 to 20 days after drought stress, the abundance of Sphingomonas and Aeromicrobium in the rhizosphere soil of the two varieties of broomcorn millet decreased gradually. Compared with Yanshu No.10, the abundance of Pseudarthrobacter in the rhizosphere of Hequ red millet gradually increased. A Beta diversity analysis revealed variations in the dissimilarities of the bacterial community which corresponded to different rehydration durations. The relative abundance of bacterial metabolic functions in the rhizosphere of broomcorn millet was lower after 20 days of rehydration, compared to measurements after 10 days of rehydration. This observation might be attributed to the exchange of materials between broomcorn millet and microorganisms during the initial rehydration stage to repair the effects of drought, as well as to the enrichment of numerous microorganisms to sustain the stability of the community structure. This study helps to comprehend the alterations to the bacterial structure and diversity in the rhizosphere of broomcorn millet following drought stress and rehydration. It sheds light on the growth status of broomcorn millet and its rhizosphere microorganisms under real environmental influences, thereby enhancing research on the drought tolerance mechanisms of broomcorn millet.