Integrated metagenomic and culturomic strategies to mine and validate beneficial rhizosphere Actinobacteria from lavender

This study achieves a closed-loop verification from in silico functional prediction to empirical validation of beneficial strains. It provides the first systematic elucidation of the functional adaptation mechanisms of the lavender rhizosphere actinobacterial community under saline-alkaline stress and identifies elite microbial resources with both stress tolerance and PGP functions. The findings offer novel microbial agents and a theoretical foundation for developing specialized inoculants to mitigate saline-alkaline obstacles in lavender cultivation.