Soil microbiome transplantation to enhance the drought response of

Introduction: Soil microbiome transplantation is a promising technique for enhancing plant holobiont response to abiotic and biotic stresses. However, the rapid assessment of microbiome-plant functional integration in short-term experiments remains a challenge. Methods: This study investigates the potential of three evergreen sclerophyll species, Results: Our results showed that the inoculation with the three rhizomicrobiomes did not enhance total plant biomass, while it significantly influenced plant architecture, ecophysiology, and metabolic responses. The inoculation with the JP rhizomicrobiome led to a significant increase in root biomass, resulting in smaller leaves and a higher leaf number. These morphological changes suggest improved water acquisition and thermoregulation strategies. Furthermore, distinct stomatal conductance patterns were observed in plants inoculated with microbiomes from PJ and PL, indicating altered responses to drought stress. The metabolome analysis demonstrated that rhizomicrobiome transplantation significantly influenced the leaf metabolome of Discussion: This study provides compelling evidence that microbiome transplantation can induce phenotypic and metabolic changes in recipient plants, potentially enhancing their resilience to water scarcity. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering multiple factors, including biomass, physiology, and metabolomics, when evaluating the effectiveness of microbiome engineering for improving plant stress tolerance.