Development of an inexpensive matrix-assisted laser desorption-time of flight mass spectrometry method for the identification of endophytes and rhizobacteria cultured from the microbiome associated with maize.

Many endophytes and rhizobacteria associated with plants support the growth and health of their hosts. The vast majority of these potentially beneficial bacteria have yet to be characterized, in part because of the cost of identifying bacterial isolates. Matrix-assisted laser desorption-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) has enabled culturomic studies of host-associated microbiomes but analysis of mass spectra generated from plant-associated bacteria requires optimization.