Abstract
Grafting has been reported as a factor regulating the metabolome of a plant. Therefore, a comprehensive metabolic profile and comparative analysis of metabolites were conducted from fully mature fruit of pumpkin-grafted watermelon (PGW) and a self-rooted watermelon (SRW). Widely targeted LC-ESI-MS/MS metabolomics approach facilitated the simultaneous identification and quantification of 339 metabolites across PGW and SRW. Regardless of grafting, delta-aminolevulinic acid hydrochloride, sucrose, mannose-6-phosphate (carbohydrates), homocystine, 2-phenylglycine, s-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (amino acids and derivatives), malic, azelaic, H-butanoic acid ethyl ester-hexoside isomer 1, (organic acids), MAG (18:3) isomer1, LysoPC 16:0, LysoPC 18:2 2n isomer (lipids) p-coumaric acid, piperidine, and salicylic acid-o-glycoside (secondary metabolites) were among the dominant metabolite. Dulcitol, mono-, and disaccharide sugars were higher in PGW, while polysaccharides showed complex behavior. In PGW, most aromatic and nitrogen-rich amino acids accumulated greater than 1.5- and 1-fold, respectively. Intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA), stress-related metabolites, vitamin B5, and several flavonoids were significantly more abundant in PGW. Most lipids were also significantly higher in grafted watermelon. This is the first report providing a comprehensive picture of watermelon metabolic profile and changes induced by grafting. Hence, the untargeted high-throughput LC-ESI-MS/MS metabolomics approach could be suitable to provide significant differences in metabolite contents between grafted and ungrafted plants.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilWatermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) is one of the most economically important horticultural crops, with 83.7% production in Asia and 9.5% production globally out of total vegetable production
The large-scale metabolomics analysis identified 339 metabolites in pumpkin-grafted watermelon (PGW) and self-rooted watermelon (SRW), and most of the metabolites were in greater abundance in PGW
These metabolites were involved in major metabolic pathways, multiple biological functions, including plant growth, phytochemicals, and stress-related metabolites
Summary
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus L.) is one of the most economically important horticultural crops, with 83.7% production in Asia and 9.5% production globally out of total vegetable production. According to 2017 data, China is the leading producer of watermelon with more than half of the world’s production, and around 20% of crops come from grafted plants (http://faostat.fao.org accessed on 15 December 2019). Watermelon is a rich source of metabolites such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, organic acids, sugars, and amino acids [1,2,3]. Plant primary and secondary metabolites play an integral role in regulating the plant’s growth and development, pigmentation of flowers and fruits, flavor, defense mechanisms against diseases, and tolerance to unfavorable environmental conditions [4,5]. Amino acids, nucleotides, fatty acids, carbohydrates, iations
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