The rhizoplane, the surface of plant roots, hosts a taxonomically distinct microbial community that is crucial for understanding plant-microbe interactions. This zone is densely colonized by microorganisms, often forming biofilms, which are essential for the early stages of plant colonization. The rhizoplane plays a key role in plant growth and health, as it is the initial site for the establishment of both plant growth-promoting and pathogen-suppressing bacteria. These bacteria benefit from direct access to root exudates, while plants can utilize bacterial metabolites. In this study, ten bacterial isolates were obtained by plating washed roots from three-week-old maize seedlings (B73 line). Their genomes were sequenced using Oxford Nanopore long-read technology, enabling chromosome-level assemblies. Comparative genomic analysis revealed significant gene enrichment related to carbohydrate metabolism, motility and chemotaxis, phosphorus, and sulfur metabolism. Notably, six of these isolates are potentially new species.To further explore microbe-microbe interactions, a novel technique termed Microbial Partners (MiPners) was developed. This method uses physical binding as a selection mechanism to identify pairs of interacting bacterial species. Using a strain of Serratia marcescens (SMC43) isolated from soil from the campus of the University of Georgia, it was selected due to its distinctive red pigmentation, resulting from the production of the antimicrobial compound prodigiosin, since it will allow for contrasting colonies. This pigmentation enabled easy contrast with any differently pigmented microbial partners. A series of controls were made to test the effect of Bacteria that specifically bind to SMC43 were isolated. The MiPner technique enriched for members of the genera Sphingobium and Caulobacter. Remarkably, two out of 24 MiPners could not grow independently, requiring the presence of SMC43 for cultivation, suggesting that MiPner technology can isolate bacteria that are otherwise challenging to culture. Additionally, 11 soil and root-associated bacterial isolates had their genomes sequenced, and taxonomic analyses such as Average Nucleotide Identity indicated that they are likely new species. Four of these species were isolated using the MiPner technique. Two of these bacteria were isolated from mangrove. These results show the potential for new discoveries in soil and roots.