On January 8, 2026, the 6th Sakeology Seminar in FY2025, “Ecology and Functions of Soil Microorganisms in Paddy Fields,” was held. SUZUKI Kazuki, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty Member of the Sakeology Center, gave a lecture on his research.

Dr. Suzuki explained that the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere differ from those in the surrounding soil and play a role in promoting plant growth. He introduced his research showing that the difference in soil type, rather than field management, had significant effects on the diversity of the bacterial communities using DNA metabarcoding. Furthermore, he demonstrated that soil differences lead to significant variation in the formation of endophytic bacterial communities in rice roots, thereby significantly affecting the early rice growth.