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POSTERS: Microbiome/Communities II

P-348 - Exploring the influence of the winter wheat rhizosphere from Oklahoma in crop productivity to develop probes targeting beneficial organisms

Tuesday, August 5, 2025
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3
Abstract Text: Winter wheat is vital in Oklahoma, contributing $400 million to $1 billion annually. Using specific microorganisms as soil amendments has emerged as an alternative to pesticides and fertilizers, benefiting plant growth and suppressing pathogens. Assessing microbial diversity in the rhizosphere is crucial for enhancing crop fitness and plant interactions. High-throughput whole genome sequencing (WGS) approaches readily profile the microbiome composition, capturing most of the diversity present in the soil, including unculturable organisms, which might improve plant fitness and yield. In this study, winter wheat soil microbiomes, retrieved using Oxford Nanopore WGS, were scrutinized to design probes targeting key organisms correlated with phenotypical indices associated with crop productivity. Generalized linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the influence of the soil, wheat variety, and microbiome diversity on winter wheat yield across Feekes growth stages 6 and 9. Species-specific probes were designed and validated to target organisms mainly from the genera Nocardioides, Streptomyces, Mycolicibacterium, and the order Hyphomicrobiales identified as potential contributors to improved plant development in high productivity crops. Ultimately, our goal is to provide stakeholders with these validated probes, allowing them to directly assess the presence of beneficial organisms in their soil without requiring complex bioinformatic analyses, facilitating informed decisions for sustainable agricultural practices.