Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Alters the Root Endophyte Bacterial Microbiome in Maize Plants, but Not in the Stem or Rhizosphere Soil
Alejandra Miranda-Carrazco, Yendi E. Navarro‐Noya, Bram Govaerts, Nele Verhulst, Luc Dendooven
Abstract
We investigated the bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere, root, and stem of maize plants cultivated under different agricultural techniques, i.e., with or without N fertilization, and with or without tillage. We found that the bacterial community was defined mostly by the plant compartment and less by agricultural techniques. In the roots, N fertilizer application affected the bacterial community structure, the microbiome functionality, and the abundance of genes involved in the N cycle, but the effect in the rhizosphere and stem was much smaller. Contrary, tillage did not affect the maize microbiome. This study enriches our knowledge about the plant-microbiome system and how N fertilization application affected it.