METAGENOMICS STUDY OF TEA RHIZOSPHERE SOIL IN ELEVATED CARBON DIOXIDE AND TEMPERATUREA.S. Rahman, J. Barukial, S.R. Sarmah, R.D. Baruah and A. BhattacharjeeAbstract One of the most pressing environmental issue of our time is climate change. Additionally, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and the global temperature are also increasing. North East India is widely known for tea. Tea cultivation is largely dependent on its distinct soil fertility and its associated microorganisms. However, little is known about how high elevated CO2 and temperature affect the rhizosphere of tea plants. This study was conducted in order to comprehend the general microbial diversity of the tea soil rhizosphere in response to rising temperatures and CO2. The study was performed using two Open top chambers where four different tea cultivars were exposed to elevated CO2 and temperature, and only elevated temperature where microbial dynamics was studied using metagenomics of 16s rRNA analysis. The results indicated that in the treatments highest abundance was found in the phylum Proteobacteria, 32.11%, which was followed by Acidobacteria, 14.32% and Actinobacteria, 9.13%. Significant variations were observed in both treatments when compared to the control. The results of this study would thus help in understanding the culturable as well as unculturable bacteria associated with tea plant rhizosphere, which may be beneficial in planning future adaptation and mitigation strategies under climate change scenarios. |