Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing Data of Sunflower Rhizosphere Microbial Community in South Africa

This dataset presents shotgun metagenomic sequencing of sunflower rhizosphere microbiome in Bloemhof, South Africa. Data were collected to decipher the structure and function in the sunflower microbial community. Illumina HiSeq platform using next generation sequencing of the DNA was carried out. The metagenome comprised 8,991,566 sequences totaling 1,607,022,279 bp size and 66% GC content. The metagenome was deposited into the NCBI database and can be accessed with the SRA accession number SRR10418054. An online metagenome server (MG RAST) using the subsystem database revealed bacteria had the highest taxonomical representation with 98.47%, eukaryote at 1.23%, and archaea at 0.20%. The most abundant genera were the Conexibacter (17%), Nocardioides (8%), Streptomyces (7%), Geodermatophilus (6%), Methylobacterium (5%), and Burkholderia (4%). MG-RAST assisted analysis also revealed functional annotation based on subsystem, carbohydrates sequence had 13.74%, clustering based subsystem 12.93%, amino acids and derivatives 10.30% coupled with other useful functional traits needed for plant growth and health

Metagenomic Insight into the Community Structure and Functional Genes in the Sunflower Rhizosphere Microbiome

The rhizosphere’s microbial communities consist of a diverse set of microorganisms that can be beneficial to plants. These beneficial microorganisms are key determinants of plant productivity and health. In this study, we used shotgun metagenomics to explore and characterize the microbiome of the sunflower rhizosphere and bulk soil. The rhizosphere shared features with the bulk soil with dominant phyla such as Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes, and Verrucomicrobia. There was no significant difference in the alpha diversity of the sunflower rhizosphere and bulk soils, though diversity was lower in the rhizosphere, suggesting a selection of microorganisms by sunflower rhizosphere to the bulk soil community. The genes present in the rhizosphere with their corresponding proteins as observed in our study conferred potential plant-beneficial properties such as siderophore production, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilizing, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase. Furthermore, other genes such as exopolysaccharides-producing, high-temperature stress response, and heat and cold shock response genes, which help withstand environmental stresses were also identified more in the rhizosphere. Of note from our study is the gene phenazine biosynthesis protein, which confers biocontrol. With the current indiscriminate use of pesticides that are considered harmful to the ecosystem, these potential functional genes can be further exploited and used as a biotechnological application for sustainable agriculture