The root tip of a plant is highly sensitive to environmental cues and
exerts sensory, chemical and movement responses and has even been
likened to an animal’s brain. Yet, the assemblage of microbes at the
root tip, the control of their diversity, the nature of their
recruitment to that particular volume, and their roles in plant
phenotypic function, remain poorly understood. This study investigated
longitudinal niche differentiation of the root-associated microbiome in
chickpeas ( Cicer arietinum L.) and its interactions with both
diverse soil types and host plants with genetic variation in phenology,
from the exterior to the interior of the root. Compared with late
flowering (LF) genotypes, endophyte microbiomes at the apical zone of
the early flowering (EF) host were characterised by greater diversity,
higher compositional similarity to the basal zone, and closely
inhabiting Rhizobacter and Methylotenera across soils.
Additionally, EF genotypes secreted a specific composition of
metabolites from the apical zone, with more carboxylates and amino acids
(especially propionic acid and benzoic acid) than the LF plant. Our
findings demonstrate that longitudinal differentiation within a seedling
root is an essential feature shaping the root microbiome and indicative
of genetic variation in phenology of host plants.