Research Projects

The weed microbiome is a crucial resource for plant growth promotion and stress alleviation. It can be beneficial in improving health and stress tolerance. However, domestication has limited the ability of crop plants to recruit beneficial microbes, compromising plant resilience. Wild relatives of weeds recruit beneficial rhizospheric microbes, which can conserve valuable microbes and provide plant-beneficial functions. A study at Gauhati University identified two isolates of rhizospheric microbes from M. diplotricha, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Variovorax sp, which exhibit drought tolerance in rice seedlings. This study aims to study the protective role of these microbes in rice seedlings, potentially aiding in the development of effective biostimulants for drought stress mitigation. Metagenomic analysis of 16s rRNA genes from the rhizosphere can help determine bacterial abundance and identify dominant major microbial phyla involved in plant beneficial functions. The study will help determine the effect of NA 15 and NA 16 on drought stress alleviation in rice seedlings and establish a correlation between root exudation, plant-associated microbiome, and microbes-derived chemicals. This will help develop an effective drought-mitigation protocol based on non-synthetic chemical uses.