Metagenomic analysis of the rhizospheric soil of Piper longum L. established in D.E.I, Agra, India

The rhizosphere of medicinal plants contains a variety of microbial populations that influence plant health, nutrient uptake, and the synthesis of bioactive compounds. In this study, we used a culture-independent metagenomic approach to characterize the rhizospheric microbiota of Piper longum , a plant with significant medicinal potential in traditional medicine. High-throughput sequencing using the Illumina technology yielded 19.94 million paired-end reads (~ 5.92 Gb), which were assembled into 97,432 scaffolds, resulting in a genomic length of 52.26 Mb. In all, 45,876 genes were predicted and functionally identified across multiple databases. The phylum Proteobacteria is dominant in terms of taxonomic classification, with Nitrososphaera and Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis being the most common genus and species, respectively. A metabolically diverse and ecologically significant microbial population was indicated by functional profiling, which also showed enrichment in genes linked to metabolism, amino acid transport, and environmental adaptability. This work highlights the value of using microbial diversity for sustainable agriculture and enhanced phytochemical output while providing basic insights into the P . longum rhizosphere microbiome.