Impacts of continuous cropping on the rhizospheric and endospheric microbial communities and root exudates of Astragalus mongholicus

• Published in: BMC plant biology Vol. 24; no. 1; p. 340
• Main Authors: Zhou, Qin, Wang, Yun, Yue, Liang, Ye, Ailing, Xie, Xiaofan, Zhang, Meilan, Tian, Yuan, Liu, Yang, Turatsinze, Andéole Niyongabo, Constantine, Uwaremwe, Zhao, Xia, Zhang, Yubao, Wang, Ruoyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 26.04.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: A. mongholicus; Agricultural research; Amino acids; Aminophenol; Analysis; Astragalus (Plants); Astragalus mongholicus; Astragalus Plant - microbiology; Bacteria; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - metabolism; Continuous cropping; Crop Production - methods; Cropping systems; Dry weight; Endogenous fungi; Environmental aspects; Exudates; Exudation; Food security; Fungi; Fungi - genetics; Fungi - physiology; Fusarium oxysporum; Herbal medicine; Medicinal plants; Medicine, Botanic; Medicine, Herbal; Metabolites; Metabolomics; Microbial activity; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms); Microorganisms; Morphology; Next-generation sequencing; o-Aminophenol; Pathogens; Physiological aspects; Plant biomass; Plant Exudates - metabolism; Plant growth; Plant Roots - microbiology; Quinic acid; Relative abundance; Rhizosphere; Rhizosphere metabolomics; Root exudates; Roots; Soil; Soil ecology; Soil Microbiology; Soils; Tartaric acid; Traditional Chinese medicine; China; A. mongholicus; Rhizosphere metabolomics; Root exudates; Endogenous fungi
• ISSN: 1471-2229; 1471-2229
• DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05024-5

Astragalus mongholicus is a medicinal plant that is known to decrease in quality in response to continuous cropping. However, the differences in the root-associated microbiome and root exudates in the rhizosphere soil that may lead to these decreases are barely under studies. We investigated the plant biomass production, root-associated microbiota, and root exudates of A. mongholicus grown in two different fields: virgin soil (Field I) and in a long-term continuous cropping field (Field II). Virgin soil is soil that has never been cultivated for A. mongholicus. Plant physiological measurements showed reduced fresh and dry weight of A. mongholicus under continuous cropping conditions (i.e. Field II). High-throughput sequencing of the fungal and bacterial communities revealed differences in fungal diversity between samples from the two fields, including enrichment of potentially pathogenic fungi in the roots of A. mongholicus grown in Field II. Metabolomic analysis yielded 20 compounds in A. mongholicus root exudates that differed in relative abundance between rhizosphere samples from the two fields. Four of these metabolites (2-aminophenol, quinic acid, tartaric acid, and maleamate) inhibited the growth of A. mongholicus, the soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum, or both. This comprehensive analysis enhances our understanding of the A. mongholicus microbiome, root exudates, and interactions between the two in response to continuous cropping. These results offer new information for future design of effective, economical approaches to achieving food security.