Conventional methods of agricultural pest control and crop fertilisation are contributing to a crisis of biodiversity loss, biogeochemical cycle dysregulation, and ecosystem collapse. Thus, we must find ecologically responsible means to control disease and promote crop yields. The root-associated microbiome may contribute to this goal as microbes can aid plants with disease suppression, abiotic stress relief, and nutrient bioavailability. We applied 16S rRNA gene & fungal 18S rRNA gene (ITS2 region) amplicon sequencing to profile the diversity of the bacterial, archaeal & fungal communities associated with the roots of UK elite spring bread wheat varietyTriticum aestivum var.Paragon in different soils and developmental stages. This revealed that community composition shifted significantly for all three groups across compartments. This shift was most pronounced for bacteria and fungi, while we observed weaker selection on the ammonia oxidising archaea-dominated archaeal community. Across multiple soil types we found that soil inoculum was a significant driver of endosphere community composition, however several bacterial families were identified as core enriched taxa in all soil conditions. The most abundant of these wereStreptomycetaceaeandBurkholderiaceae.Moreover, as the plants senesce, both families were reduced in abundance, indicating that input from the living plant was required to maintain their abundance in the endosphere. To understand which microbes are using wheat root exudates in the rhizosphere, root exudates were labelled in a13CO2DNA stable isotope probing experiment. This shows that bacterial taxa within theBurkholderiaceaefamily among other core enriched taxa, such asPseudomonadaceae,were able to use root exudates butStreptomycetaceaewere not. Overall, this work provides a better understanding of the wheat microbiome, including the endosphere community. Understanding crop microbiome formation will contribute to ecologically responsible methods for yield improvement and biocontrol in the future.
", "keywords": ["2. Zero hunger", "0301 basic medicine", "570", "0303 health sciences", "Exudate", "15. Life on land", "Senescence", "Microbiology", "630", "QR1-502", "Environmental sciences", "03 medical and health sciences", "Root", "Wheat", "GE1-350", "Microbiome", "Endosphere", "Research Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://oro.open.ac.uk/77831/1/40793_2021_Article_381.pdf"}, {"href": "https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/80327/1/Published_Version.pdf"}, {"href": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s40793-021-00381-2.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-021-00381-2"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Environmental%20Microbiome", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.1186/s40793-021-00381-2", "name": "item", "description": "10.1186/s40793-021-00381-2", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.1186/s40793-021-00381-2"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2021-02-09T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.1101/2021.02.09.430461", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-09-21T16:17:22Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-02-10", "title": "Soil, senescence and exudate utilisation: Characterisation of the Paragon var. spring bread wheat root microbiome", "description": "AbstractConventional methods of agricultural pest control and crop fertilisation are contributing to a crisis of biodiversity loss, biogeochemical cycle dysregulation, and ecosystem collapse. Thus, we must find ecologically responsible means to control disease and promote crop yields. The root-associated microbiome may contribute to this goal as microbes can aid plants with disease suppression, abiotic stress relief, and nutrient bioavailability. We applied 16S rRNA gene & fungal 18S rRNA gene (ITS2 region) amplicon sequencing to profile the diversity of the bacterial, archaeal & fungal communities associated with the roots of UK elite spring bread wheat varietyTriticum aestivum var.Paragon in different soils and developmental stages. This revealed that community composition shifted significantly for all three groups across compartments. This shift was most pronounced for bacteria and fungi, while we observed weaker selection on the ammonia oxidising archaea-dominated archaeal community. Across multiple soil types we found that soil inoculum was a significant driver of endosphere community composition, however several bacterial families were identified as core enriched taxa in all soil conditions. The most abundant of these wereStreptomycetaceaeandBurkholderiaceae.Moreover, as the plants senesce, both families were reduced in abundance, indicating that input from the living plant was required to maintain their abundance in the endosphere. To understand which microbes are using wheat root exudates in the rhizosphere, root exudates were labelled in a13CO2DNA stable isotope probing experiment. This shows that bacterial taxa within theBurkholderiaceaefamily among other core enriched taxa, such asPseudomonadaceae,were able to use root exudates butStreptomycetaceaewere not. Overall, this work provides a better understanding of the wheat microbiome, including the endosphere community. Understanding crop microbiome formation will contribute to ecologically responsible methods for yield improvement and biocontrol in the future.Root architectural and anatomical phenotypes are highly diverse. Specific root phenotypes can be associated with better plant growth under low nutrient and water availability. Therefore, root ideotypes have been proposed as breeding targets for more stress-resilient and resource-efficient crops. For example, root phenotypes that correspond to the Topsoil Foraging ideotype are associated with better plant growth under suboptimal phosphorus availability, and root phenotypes that correspond to the Steep, Cheap and Deep ideotype are linked to better performance under suboptimal availability of nitrogen and water. We propose that natural variation in root phenotypes translates into a diversity of different niches for microbial associations in the rhizosphere, rhizoplane and root cortex, and that microbial traits could have synergistic effects with the beneficial effect of specific root phenotypes. Oxygen and water content, carbon rhizodeposition, nutrient availability, and root surface area are all factors that are modified by root anatomy and architecture and determine the structure and function of the associated microbial communities. Recent research results indicate that root characteristics that may modify microbial communities associated with maize include aerenchyma, rooting angle, root hairs, and lateral root branching density. Therefore, the selection of root phenotypes linked to better plant growth under specific edaphic conditions should be accompanied by investigating and selecting microbial partners better adapted to each set of conditions created by the corresponding root phenotype. Microbial traits such as nitrogen transformation, phosphorus solubilization, and water retention could have synergistic effects when correctly matched with promising plant root ideotypes for improved nutrient and water capture. We propose that elucidation of the interactive effects of root phenotypes and microbial functions on plant nutrient and water uptake offers new opportunities to increase crop yields and agroecosystem sustainability.Conventional methods of agricultural pest control and crop fertilisation are contributing to a crisis of biodiversity loss, biogeochemical cycle dysregulation, and ecosystem collapse. Thus, we must find ecologically responsible means to control disease and promote crop yields. The root-associated microbiome may contribute to this goal as microbes can aid plants with disease suppression, abiotic stress relief, and nutrient bioavailability. We applied 16S rRNA gene & fungal 18S rRNA gene (ITS2 region) amplicon sequencing to profile the diversity of the bacterial, archaeal & fungal communities associated with the roots of UK elite spring bread wheat varietyTriticum aestivum var.Paragon in different soils and developmental stages. This revealed that community composition shifted significantly for all three groups across compartments. This shift was most pronounced for bacteria and fungi, while we observed weaker selection on the ammonia oxidising archaea-dominated archaeal community. Across multiple soil types we found that soil inoculum was a significant driver of endosphere community composition, however several bacterial families were identified as core enriched taxa in all soil conditions. The most abundant of these wereStreptomycetaceaeandBurkholderiaceae.Moreover, as the plants senesce, both families were reduced in abundance, indicating that input from the living plant was required to maintain their abundance in the endosphere. To understand which microbes are using wheat root exudates in the rhizosphere, root exudates were labelled in a13CO2DNA stable isotope probing experiment. This shows that bacterial taxa within theBurkholderiaceaefamily among other core enriched taxa, such asPseudomonadaceae,were able to use root exudates butStreptomycetaceaewere not. Overall, this work provides a better understanding of the wheat microbiome, including the endosphere community. Understanding crop microbiome formation will contribute to ecologically responsible methods for yield improvement and biocontrol in the future.Root architectural and anatomical phenotypes are highly diverse. Specific root phenotypes can be associated with better plant growth under low nutrient and water availability. Therefore, root ideotypes have been proposed as breeding targets for more stress-resilient and resource-efficient crops. For example, root phenotypes that correspond to the Topsoil Foraging ideotype are associated with better plant growth under suboptimal phosphorus availability, and root phenotypes that correspond to the Steep, Cheap and Deep ideotype are linked to better performance under suboptimal availability of nitrogen and water. We propose that natural variation in root phenotypes translates into a diversity of different niches for microbial associations in the rhizosphere, rhizoplane and root cortex, and that microbial traits could have synergistic effects with the beneficial effect of specific root phenotypes. Oxygen and water content, carbon rhizodeposition, nutrient availability, and root surface area are all factors that are modified by root anatomy and architecture and determine the structure and function of the associated microbial communities. Recent research results indicate that root characteristics that may modify microbial communities associated with maize include aerenchyma, rooting angle, root hairs, and lateral root branching density. Therefore, the selection of root phenotypes linked to better plant growth under specific edaphic conditions should be accompanied by investigating and selecting microbial partners better adapted to each set of conditions created by the corresponding root phenotype. Microbial traits such as nitrogen transformation, phosphorus solubilization, and water retention could have synergistic effects when correctly matched with promising plant root ideotypes for improved nutrient and water capture. We propose that elucidation of the interactive effects of root phenotypes and microbial functions on plant nutrient and water uptake offers new opportunities to increase crop yields and agroecosystem sustainability.Conventional methods of agricultural pest control and crop fertilisation are contributing to a crisis of biodiversity loss, biogeochemical cycle dysregulation, and ecosystem collapse. Thus, we must find ecologically responsible means to control disease and promote crop yields. The root-associated microbiome may contribute to this goal as microbes can aid plants with disease suppression, abiotic stress relief, and nutrient bioavailability. We applied 16S rRNA gene & fungal 18S rRNA gene (ITS2 region) amplicon sequencing to profile the diversity of the bacterial, archaeal & fungal communities associated with the roots of UK elite spring bread wheat varietyTriticum aestivum var.Paragon in different soils and developmental stages. This revealed that community composition shifted significantly for all three groups across compartments. This shift was most pronounced for bacteria and fungi, while we observed weaker selection on the ammonia oxidising archaea-dominated archaeal community. Across multiple soil types we found that soil inoculum was a significant driver of endosphere community composition, however several bacterial families were identified as core enriched taxa in all soil conditions. The most abundant of these wereStreptomycetaceaeandBurkholderiaceae.Moreover, as the plants senesce, both families were reduced in abundance, indicating that input from the living plant was required to maintain their abundance in the endosphere. To understand which microbes are using wheat root exudates in the rhizosphere, root exudates were labelled in a13CO2DNA stable isotope probing experiment. This shows that bacterial taxa within theBurkholderiaceaefamily among other core enriched taxa, such asPseudomonadaceae,were able to use root exudates butStreptomycetaceaewere not. Overall, this work provides a better understanding of the wheat microbiome, including the endosphere community. Understanding crop microbiome formation will contribute to ecologically responsible methods for yield improvement and biocontrol in the future.