Abstract

The plant microbiota plays important roles in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Wasabi (Eutrema japonicum), a traditional crop indigenous to Japan, remains poorly characterized in terms of its associated bacterial community. In the present study, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed distinct bacterial community structures across plant and soil compartments. The rhizome microbiota, the edible plant organ used as a spice, exhibited intermediate characteristics between those of the root and leaf microbiota. These results provide fundamental insights into the wasabi-associated bacterial microbiota and identify the rhizome as a distinct microbial niche.

Keywords: Wasabi (Eutrema japonicum), 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, plant microbiota, rhizome, diversity

Source: Hashimoto, M., Ohata, K., Nakano, R. T., Hirata, H. & Katai, Y. “Distinct and Intermediate Bacterial Community Structure of the Wasabi Rhizome Based on Compartment-resolved 16S rRNA Gene Profiling.” Microbes and Environments 41(2), ME26005 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1264/jsme2.ME26005. © 2026 Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology / Taiwan Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Plant Microbe Interactions / Japanese Society for Extremophiles. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.