A research team led by Prof. CHEN Qing-Lin from the Institute of Urban Environment (IUE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, has found that drought-induced changes in wheat metabolites selectively enrich drought-tolerant bacteria (DTB) in the rhizosphere，which promote plant growth and enhance drought resilience through key functional traits. The findings were published in Nature Food.

Drought is one of the most severe abiotic stresses threatening global agriculture, with its frequency and intensity projected to rise in the coming century. Traditional crop improvement approaches, which often rely on genetic modification or domestication of high-yield varieties, can be costly and time-consuming. Harnessing plant-associated microbiomes offers a promising complementary solution for enhancing crop drought tolerance.

To address the challenge of identifying active DTB in the rhizosphere, the researchers developed a functional single-cell method integrated with multi-omics analyses. This unified approach enabled the detection of functionally active microbial populations directly in situ, advancing understanding of how plant–microbe interactions contribute to drought resilience.

The study identified 21 key DTB taxa with unique drought-response capabilities critical for plant fitness, including the synthesis of indole-3-acetic acid, siderophores, and osmolytes. Inoculation experiments using synthetic communities (SynCom) composed of these bacteria significantly improved wheat growth under drought conditions.

Furthermore, by integrating global-scale metadata, the researchers revealed that these active DTB are widely distributed across diverse environments. Their conserved metabolic capacities illustrate universal microbial strategies for coping with drought stress and maintaining ecosystem function.

“Our work represents an important step toward utilizing microbial resources and processes to enhance crop resilience in the face of climate change,” said Prof. CHEN Qing-Lin, corresponding author of the study.

This study provides new mechanistic insights into plant–microbe interactions under drought conditions and demonstrates the potential of microbiome-based solutions for improving crop performance and ensuring food security in a changing climate.

Proposed model illustrating a potential bacterial solution for enhancing drought resilience in wheat (Image by XIANG Qian)