The Earth has an abundance of microbial communities; however, little is known about the diversity and quantity of these microbes. Knowing the quantity of each microbe in a sample of environmental DNA may be able to tell one about the overall health of the soil and the systems around it. Additionally, understanding the diversity of the microbiome can help to detect any rare or problematic species that may be in soil samples. Techniques such as quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 16S rRNA sequencing allow one to take a closer look at the microbiome and bacterial species that are present in a sample. In this study, we have evaluated the microbial content of 4 soil beds that have received 4 different treatments (fertilizer and microbial probiotic treatment). Environmental DNA was isolated from these beds using a Qiagen Power Soil kit. For qPCR, standard curves were created using PCR fragments made from appropriate primers that would specifically amplify each type of microbe; the concentration of these fragments were analyzed by a separate fluorescence technique. The qPCR standard curve was then used to measure the abundance of each type of microbe in each soil sample by comparing the Cq value from the samples to the standard curve. In order to determine the diversity of microbes within the samples, 16S rRNA sequencing was performed on the same environmental DNA samples. The data obtained was processed using Qiime 2 platform. The results of the bioinformatics processing and the diversity of the microbial communities within each sample will be discussed.

Quantitative PCR and 16S rRNA sequencing of soil samples from garden beds

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