Impact of Azospirillum sp. B510 Inoculation on Rice-Associated Bacterial Communities in a Paddy Field

Rice seedlings were inoculated with Azospirillum sp. B510 and transplanted into a paddy field. Growth in terms of tiller numbers and shoot length was significantly increased by inoculation. Principal-coordinates analysis of rice bacterial communities using the 16S rRNA gene showed no overall change from B510 inoculation. However, the abundance of Veillonellaceae and Aurantimonas significantly increased in the base and shoots, respectively, of B510-inoculated plants. The abundance of Azospirillum did not differ between B510-inoculated and uninoculated plants (0.02–0.50%). These results indicate that the application of Azospirillum sp. B510 not only enhanced rice growth, but also affected minor rice-associated bacteria.