Illumina MiSeq sequencing investigation on the contrasting rhizosphere soil bacterial community structures in tea orchard soil under different content of aluminium

The rhizosphere of grown tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) becomes acidic, and aluminium (Al) toxicity has been identified as a key constraint on plant development in acidic soils. The current study investigated the composition and functions of rhizosphere bacteria as well as soil enzyme activity under different Al stress conditions. The effect of soil pH, soil enzyme activities, the diversity and structure of the rhizosphere bacterial population under various Al concentrations were studied by the pot experiment. All analyses demonstrated that substantial alterations in the activity of soil enzymes and the composition of the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere could only be seen under conditions of extreme Al stress. Soil enzymes were more concentrated in Al concentrations of 100, 150 and 250 µM, respectively. More than 82,000 valid reads were obtained for each replicate, and the abundance of certain genera in the aluminium treated groups were greater than the control group. Lower Al stress attracted Al-tolerant bacteria such as Burkholderia to increase Al stress resistance. These findings revealed that soil enzyme activities and the structure of the rhizosphere bacterial population in tea orchard soil provided tolerance or resistance capability to tea plants for their development under Al stress.