COMPARING THE MICROBIAL DIVERSITY OF SENNA ITALICA LEAVES AND ROOTS WITH THE RHIZOSPHERE

This study used metagenomic sequencing via Illumina high-throughput sequencing of V3-V4 16S rRNA to investigate and analyze the endophytic and rhizosphere bacterial communities associated with the soil, roots, and leaves of the desert medicinal plant Senna italica.Among the ten samples analyzed, those from the roots (1) had the highest read count (101,486), while those from the leaves (3) had the lowest read count (69,799).Operational taxonomic unit (OTU) analysis yielded 1351 units, with rhizosphere soil samples showing significantly greater OTU counts than endophytes.Taxonomic analysis at the phylum and order levels revealed distinct bacterial communities between the rhizosphere and endophytic environments, with Actinobacteria (ranging from 27.55% to 10.97%) and Proteobacteria (33.16% to 28.59%) dominating across samples.Actinomycetales, Rhizobiales, and Bacillales notable orders and mainly enriched in rhizosphere soil (>1% abundance).Microbial composition analysis via UPGMA tree and PCoA highlighted microbial diversity variations, revealing similarities between specific leaf samples and distinctive clustering among root samples.This study underscores the diverse microbial communities within S. italica, emphasizing the differential composition and structure of the rhizosphere (which is more prevalent in specific taxa such as Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria) and endophytic habitats.Overall, these findings shed light on the intricate relationships between S. italica and its associated microbial communities, offering insights into the ecological dynamics within its ecosystem and potential implications for plant health and growth.