Diversity and spatiotemporal dynamics of fungal communities in the rhizosphere soil of Lycium barbarum L.: a new insight into the mechanism of geoherb formation

Yuekun Li,Kaili Chen,Ken Qin,Yajun Wang,Wei An,Youlong Cao,Siyang Liu,Xiaojie Liang,Yue Yin,Yanfei Sun,Xuan Zhou

doi:10.1007/s00203-022-02781-5

Abstract

Lycium barbarum L. is a well-known traditional geoherb in Ningxia, China. The fruits of L. barbarum contain several dietary constituents, and thus, they exert many beneficial effects on human health. However, a few studies have been conducted on the geoherb L. barbarum and its rhizosphere soil fungal community. In this study, we determined the physicochemical properties and fungal community structure of rhizosphere soil of L. barbarum from three regions of China, namely Ningxia (NX), Qinghai (QH), and Xinjiang (XJ), during three development stages of L. barbarum. Soil pH varied between 7.56 and 8.60 across the three regions, indicating that alkaline soil is conducive to the growth of L. barbarum. The majority of soil properties in NX, an authentic geoherb-producing area, were substantially inferior to those in XJ and QH during all three developmental stages. Total sugar, polysaccharide (LBP), and flavonoid contents were the highest in wolfberry fruits from NX. High-throughput sequencing showed that the abundance of the soil fungal population in NX was higher than that in QH and XJ during the flowering and fruiting stage and summer dormant stage. Moreover, the soil fungal diversity increased with the development of wolfberry. Ascomycota and Mortierellomycota were the predominant phyla in the rhizosphere fungal communities in all samples. Redundancy analysis showed a significant correlation of the soil-available phosphorus and LBP of wolfberry fruits with the fungal community composition. The characteristics of rhizosphere fungal communities determined in the present study provide insights into the mechanism of geoherb formation in NX wolfberry.

Highlights

Lycium barbarum L., belonging to the family Solanaceae, is one of the most important traditional medicinal plants that is widely cultivated in Ningxia and Qinghai Provinces in northwest China
Analysis of rhizosphere soil properties and nutritional ingredients of wolfberry The rhizosphere soil of L. barbarum L. was collected from Xinjiang (XJ), Qinghai (QH), and Ningxia (NX) Provinces, China, and the physicochemical characteristics of rhizosphere soils were determined during the sprouting stage (SS), flowering and fruiting stage (FFS), and summer dormant stage (SDS) (Table 1, Table S2)
Soil microorganisms play a pivotal role in the ecosystem and are the key factors associated with soil quality, soil fertility, and productivity

Summary

Introduction

Lycium barbarum L. (wolfberry), belonging to the family Solanaceae, is one of the most important traditional medicinal plants that is widely cultivated in Ningxia and Qinghai Provinces in northwest China. L. barbarum fruits has increased gradually over the past 2 decades because of their proven nourishing value, antiinflammatory and antiageing effects, and crucial role in the prevention and treatment of various chronic diseases (Shi et al 2017; Cenariu et al 2021). Wolfberry contains many nutrients with high biological activity, and its extracts exhibit immunomodulation and antitumour activities (Zhang et al 2011; Huang et al 2012; Kulczyński and Gramza-Michałowska 2016). Several studies have reported that L. barbarum polysaccharides (LBPs), a major active ingredient extracted from the fruits, possess a remarkable immuno-modulatory activity (Amagase and Farnsworth 2011; Cheng et al 2015). Phytochemical studies have revealed the presence of numerous secondary metabolites such as phenolic amides (Kai et al 2015; Pei-Feng et al 2017), alkaloids (Kun et al 2011), peptides (Morita et al 1996), and flavonoids (Qian et al 2003) in L. barbarum.

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Conclusion