Investigation of soil nutrients and associated rhizobacterial communities in different sugarcane genotypes in relation to sugar content

Abstract Background Plant microbiomes and soil are bridged by rhizobacteria, maintaining and improving plant health and growth in different aspects. This study was conducted in the field station of the Guangxi University, Fusui, China. We investigated soil nutrients, root morphology and rhizosphere bacterial composition, and community structures in 18 sugarcane genotypes concerning sugar content under the same environmental condition. Results Most of the rhizosphere microbiomes of these genotypes exhibited similar bacterial compositions. However, the evaluated genotypes harbored a significant effect and difference in the abundance of operational taxonomic units and bacterial composition in the rhizosphere compartments. Alpha diversity analysis on the rhizosphere microbiome showed a significant difference in the bacterial diversity (Shannon index, p < 0.001) and OTU richness (Chao1, p < 0.001). The principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that the genotype replicated samples grouped, indicating their similarity. Besides, these genotypes also differed significantly in terms of root structure and soil properties. A significant genotypic effect (p < 0.05) was found in the root traits except for rooting depth. The soil chemical properties were significantly different among the evaluated genotypes. Furthermore, sucrose content was strongly correlated with the total root length (TRL) and rooting depth. Genotypes (FN-1702, GUC-3, ZZ-13, ZZ-10, ZZ-6) were the best performing and distinct in bacterial diversity, root structure, soil parameters and sucrose content. Conclusion The results showed a closely related and highly conserved bacterial community of the rhizosphere microbiome. The rhizosphere microbiome diversity and related bacterial communities were highly associated with the relevant plant taxa, probably at the order level. As a result, it is possible to conclude that the host genotype and the same environmental condition influenced the rhizosphere microbiome via root phenes. Future research regarding plant phenes and microbiome functional groups could be considered an essential factor. Graphic abstract