So it is above, So it is below: Microbial Pathways Associated with Date Palm Trees

Abstract

Among the many factors that influence beneficial plant–microbeinteraction, plant species affects the molecular interactions betweenplant roots and microbes. Plants’association with microorganisms was known to bespecies-specific in some plants, such as date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera).In the current research, we explore microorganisms associated with date palmcultivars. Soil samples from the rhizosphere of Khalas date palm trees at the Al-Ahsaoasis in Saudi Arabia were subjected to DNA extraction, followed by metagenomic reassembly, quantification,and binning. The results revealed that most (86%) of the sequences were identified as bacteria, with 16% ofmicrobial communities identified specifically (5% Bacteroidetes, 3% of Verrucomicrobia, 3% of Proteobacteria, 3% ofPanactomycetes, and 2% of Acidobacteria);additionally,10% were identified asAscomycota fungi. These results were followed by functionalenzyme analysis, which identified microbial metabolism in diverse environmentsrelated to carbon fixation, carbohydrates, amino acids, and sulfur metabolism.