Sampling and Analysis of the Maize Microbiome

Maize is an important plant for both global food security and genetics research. As the importance of microorganisms to plant health is becoming clearer, there is a growing interest in understanding the relationship between maize and its associated microbiome; i.e., the collection of microorganisms living on, around, and inside the plant. The ultimate goal of this research is to use these microbial communities to support more robust and sustainable maize production. Here, we provide an overview of recent progress in the field of maize microbiome research. We discuss the major microbiome compartments (rhizosphere, phyllosphere, and endosphere) and known functions of the microbiome. We also review the methods currently available to study the maize microbiome and its functions, and discuss how to carry out maize microbiome experiments, including both a general workflow (suitable for most microbiome analyses) and maize-specific experimental considerations.