A stable 15-member bacterial SynCom promotes growth under drought stress.

INTRODUCTION

Rhizosphere microbiomes are known to drive soil nutrient cycling and influence plant fitness during adverse environmental conditions. Field-derived robust Synthetic Communities (SynComs) of microbes mimicking the diversity of rhizosphere microbiomes can greatly advance a deeper understanding of such processes. However, assembling stable, genetically tractable, reproducible, and scalable SynComs remains challenging.

METHODS

Here, we present a systematic approach using a combination of network analysis and cultivation-guided methods to construct a 15-member SynCom from the rhizobiome of . This SynCom incorporates diverse strains from five bacterial phyla. Genomic analysis of the individual strains was performed to reveal encoded plant growth-promoting traits, including genes for the synthesis of osmoprotectants (trehalose and betaine) and Na/K transporters, and some predicted traits were validated by laboratory phenotypic assays.

RESULTS

The SynCom demonstrates strong stability both and . Most strains encoded multiple plant growth-promoting functions, and several of these were confirmed experimentally. The presence of osmoprotectant and ion transporter genes likely contributed to the observed resilience of to drought stress, where plants amended with the SynCom recovered better than those without. We further observed preferential colonization of SynCom strains around root tips under stress, likely due to active interactions between plant root metabolites and bacteria.

DISCUSSION

Our results demonstrate that trait-informed construction of synthetic communities can yield stable, functionally diverse consortia that enhance plant resilience under drought. Preferential colonization near root tips points to active, localized plant-microbe signaling as a component of stress-responsive recruitment. This stable SynCom provides a scalable platform for probing mechanisms of plant-microbe interaction and for developing microbiome-based strategies to improve soil and crop performance in variable environments.