Understanding the community composition and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in an agricultural ecosystem is important for exploiting their potential in sustainable crop production. In this study, we described the genetic diversity and community structure of indigenous AMF in rain-fed rice cultivars across six different regions in Ghana. The morphological and molecular analyses revealed a total of 15 different AMF genera isolated from rice roots. Rhizophagus and Glomus were observed to be predominant in all regions except the Ashanti region, which was dominated by the genera Scutellospora and Acaulospora. A comparison of AMF diversity among the agroecological zones revealed that Guinea Savannah had the highest diversity. Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA) analysis indicated that the available phosphorus (AP) in the soil was the principal determining factor for shaping the AMF community structure (p < 0.05). We report, for the first time, AMF diversity and community structure in rice roots and how communities are affected by the chemical properties of soil from different locations in Ghana.

We investigated the root microbiomes of rice sampled from six major rice-producing regions in Ghana using Illumina MiSeq high-throughput amplicon sequencing analysis. The result showed that both bacterial and fungal community compositions were significantly varied across the regions. Bacterial communities were shaped predominantly by biotic factors, including root fungal diversity and abundance. In contrast, fungal communities were influenced by abiotic factors such as soil nitrate, total carbon and soil pH. A negative correlation between the diversity and abundance of root fungi with soil nitrate (NO3-) level was observed. It suggested that there were direct and indirect effects of NO3- on the root-associated bacterial and fungal community composition. The gradient of soil nitrate from North to South parts of Ghana may influence the composition of rice root microbiome. Bacterial community composition was shaped by fungal diversity and abundance; whereas fungal community composition was shaped by bacterial abundance. It suggested the mutualistic interaction of bacteria and fungi at the community level in the rice root microbiome. Specific bacterial and fungal taxa were detected abundantly in the ‘Northern’ regions of Ghana, which were very low or absent from the samples of other regions. The analysis of indicator species suggested that an ‘ecological specialization’ may have occurred which enabled specific microbial taxa to adapt to the local environment, such as the low-nitrate condition in the Northern regions.

Hybrid rice technology is one of the promising, sustainable, and proven technologies for increasing rice production and productivity with a yield advantage of 15–30% over modern inbred varieties. The potential of hybrid rice has so far not been exploited in Ghana. This study was undertaken to evaluate the yield potential, reaction to diseases, and physical grain attributes of some introduced hybrids. The trials were laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replicates across three locations. Data were taken on grain yield, yield components, reaction to diseases, and grain physical characteristics. Four promising hybrids (SWARNA 2, ARGH 1501, ARGH 1502, and ARGH 1503) with a mean yield advantage of 15–20.8% over the best inbred check “AgraRice” were identified. With few exceptions, the hybrids were broadly adapted and had adequate resistance to blast and bacterial leaf blight. Most of the test hybrids had long slender grains which make them acceptable to the Ghanaian market but lacked aroma.

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