Ms.
Jositta George
Junior Research Fellow, School of Biosciences, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India
Title of the talk: Unveiling Microbial Diversity in Kuttanad Rice Rhizosphere: Insights from Metagenomic Analysis for Sustainable Agriculture in Acid Sulphate Soils
Abstract
Diversity of rhizosphere microorganisms is vital for soil health and quality. Moreover, it promotes plant development and their capacity to thrive in harsh conditions. We employed metagenomic analysis to investigate the microbial population and its potential in the rice rhizosphere soils of Kuttanad, Kerala – the only region in India where rice cultivation is performed below sea level. Kuttanad rice cultivation has three landscape aspects: Karapadam (upland rice fields), Kayal (wetland rice fields formed from reclaimed lake beds like Vembanad Lake), and Kari (mineral-rich land resembling black coal). Moreover, the acid sulphate soils of Kuttanad area are highly acidic with a pH ranging from 2.5 to 5.2. The high acidity is harmful as it stunts plant growth. It became apparent that the fungal and bacterial species identified by 16S Amplicon sequencing were resilient to both salt and acid. While the alpha diversity indices for the Kara and Kayal soils were nearly identical, the Kari soil showed extremely low richness, attributed to its high acidity and acid sulphate content. In addition, a significant portion of the microorganisms identified were phosphate-solubilizers and sulphur-mining. The bacterial community found there was very similar to that of Kuttanad wetland environments, particularly in the Kayal Soil. These include Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Verrucomicrobiota, Chloroflexi, and Planctomycetes. Furthermore, the existence of Nitrospira, Thiobacillus, Thiomonas, Verrucomicrobiota, etc indicates their important roles in biogeochemical cycles. In addition to the bacterial communities, fungal communities of Fusarium, Penicillium and Trichoderma were also identified in the rhizosphere samples from these regions. Bacterial and fungal taxonomic compositions, as well as functional groups, differed significantly between the three locales. An extensive knowledge of the indigenous microorganisms in the soil can help determine prospective species to create a synthetic consortium for sustainable and environment friendly crop improvement.
Biography
Jositta George has graduated from North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong with a postgraduate degree in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. Presently, she is a Junior Research Fellow in Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, India, working on an agricultural microbiology project. The project title is, ‘Rice microbiome modulation for improved plant functional traits, nitrogen nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance’. Being dedicated and committed to her work with a creative research mindset, she aspires to contribute significantly towards the research community.
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