Abstract
Domestication has induced major genetic changes in crop plants to satisfy human needs and as a consequence of adaptation to agroecosystems. This adaptation might have affected root exudate composition, which can influence the interactions in the rhizosphere. Here, using two different soil types (sand, soil), we provide an original example of the impact of domestication and crop evolution on root exudate composition through metabolite profiling of root exudates for a panel of 10 wheat genotypes that correspond to the key steps in domestication of tetraploid wheat (wild emmer, emmer, durum wheat). Our data show that soil type can dramatically affect the composition of root exudates in the rhizosphere. Moreover, the composition of the rhizosphere metabolites is associated with differences among the genotypes of the wheat domestication groups, as seen by the high heritability of some of the metabolites. Overall, we show that domestication and breeding have had major effects on root exudates in the rhizosphere, which suggests the adaptive nature of these changes.
Highlights
Domestication has shaped the genome of crop plants to satisfy human needs for adaptation to agroecosystems
With the Sand100 substrate, root dry weight (RDW) was significantly higher compared to plants grown with Soil50: 2.6-fold higher for wild emmer, 1.9-fold for emmer, and 1.6-fold for durum wheat
A preliminary observation that arises from the present study is that the soil type might dramatically affect both the plants and the composition of the root exudate in the rhizosphere
Summary
Domestication has shaped the genome of crop plants to satisfy human needs for adaptation to agroecosystems. A series of complex chemical, physical and biological interactions takes place between roots and their surrounding environment. Plants contribute to these interactions by secretion of an enormous range of metabolites from their roots into the surrounding soil (Badri and Vivanco, 2009). These root exudates are generally classified into two classes of metabolites: high molecular weight exudates, which contain polysaccharides and proteins; and low molecular weight metabolites, which include amino acids, organic acids, sugars, phenolics, and various secondary metabolites (Badri and Vivanco, 2009)
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