Global exploration of drought-tolerant bacteria in the wheat rhizosphere reveals microbiota shifts and functional taxa enhancing plant resilience

Drought stress impacts plant–microbe interactions, reshaping microbial community composition and biogeochemical cycling, thereby reducing crop productivity and threatening food security. However, the specific microbial responses and roles of plant-derived metabolites remain underexplored. Here we reveal that drought stress shifts the composition of wheat-associated microbiota across the phyllosphere, rhizosphere and root endosphere by favouring Actinobacteria and Ascomycota while depleting Proteobacteria and Basidiomycota. Targeted single-cell sorting and sequencing identified 21 active drought-tolerant bacteria (DTB) enriched in genes related to plant fitness and nutrient cycling. These DTB showed significant positive correlations with drought-enriched plant phytochemicals such as jasmonic acid and pipecolic acid. Moreover, the inoculation of synthetic community including four identified drought-tolerant taxa significantly stimulates the wheat growth under drought stress. A global exploration confirmed the widespread distribution of DTB, underscoring their promising potential to enhance crop resilience. This study provides new insights into drought-induced microbiome shifts and highlights microbial candidates for improving crop resilience in a changing climate.