Nature's pre-installed helpers: diverse seed endophytes enhance rice nitrogen use efficiency.

ABSTRACT: Nitrogen is a key limiting factor for crop growth, and improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is critical for achieving high crop yields. In this study, both culture-independent and culture-dependent approaches were employed to systematically analyze the community composition and functional traits of seed endophytic bacteria in rice varieties with contrasting NUE. The results revealed diverse endophytic bacterial communities across the four rice varieties, with Shannon indices ranging from 2.95 to 3.23. However, significant compositional differences were observed among varieties. Rare taxa accounted for over 51% of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in each variety and were the primary drivers of community diversity and differentiation. In contrast, core taxa (shared OTUs) were highly con

SUBMITTER: Lao R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12864439 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature