Extended: Mapping spatial dynamics of Sorghum Rhizosphere under Drought stress with Deep Learning

Understanding the spatial dynamics of root microbiomes under drought stress is critical for optimizing bioenergy crop resilience and productivity. This study focuses on Sorghum bicolor, a prominent bioenergy crop, and employs advanced deep learning techniques to map the spatial distribution of root-associated microbes under drought conditions. We utilized the RhizoGrids platform to integrate taxonomic and metabolomic data with 3D root imaging, enabling precise spatial mapping of root exudates and microbial communities in soil-grown plants. Our approach combines graph attention models to identify niche spaces within the rhizosphere spatial network and to elucidate microbe-metabolite interactions altered by drought stress. The results reveal distinct spatial patterns in microbial community structure and function, highlighting the critical role of root exudates in recruiting beneficial microbes for drought resilience. This study underscores the importance of spatially resolved analyses in understanding plant-microbe interactions and provides a robust framework for engineering stress-resilient bioenergy crops in the future.