Abstract
Plant metabolomics within field-based food production systems is challenging owing to environmental variability and the complex architecture and metabolic growth cycles of plants. Kiwifruit cultivars of Actinidia chinensis are vigorous perennial vines grown as clones in highly structured orchard environments, intensively managed to maximize fruit yield and quality. To understand the metabolic responses of vines to orchard management practices, we needed to better understand the various sources of metabolic variability encountered in the orchard. Triplicate composite leaf, internode and fruit (mature and immature) samples were collected from each of six Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa ‘Hayward’ and A. chinensis var. chinensis ‘Zesy002’ kiwifruit vines at three times during the growing season and measured by LC-MS. In general, there was more variation in metabolite concentrations within vines than between vines, with ‘Hayward’ showing a greater percentage of within-vine variability than ‘Zesy002’ (c. 90 vs. 70% respectively). In specific tissues, the sampler, infection by Pseudomonas syringae var. actinidiae and the rootstock also influenced metabolite variability. A similar pattern of metabolic variability was observed from quantitative analysis of specific carbohydrates and phytohormones. High within-vine metabolic variability indicates that it is more important to obtain sufficient replicate samples than to sample from multiple vines. These data provide an objective basis for optimizing metabolite sampling strategies within kiwifruit orchards.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilMetabolomics can provide valuable insights into the biochemical processes underlying the developmental responses of plants [1]; to date metabolomics research has largely focused on the responses of individual plants [2]
While metabolomics can routinely measure the relative concentrations of hundreds of metabolites in biological samples, there has been limited progress in applying this technology to understanding the metabolic responses of complex biological systems such as perennial plants growing in fields or orchards
While control of environmental variability and better analytical technology may reduce metabolic variability, there are practical limitations on the availability of materials and the number of samples that can be subjected to chemical analysis
Summary
Metabolomics can provide valuable insights into the biochemical processes underlying the developmental responses of plants [1]; to date metabolomics research has largely focused on the responses of individual plants [2]. Applied to populations of plants, the emphasis has been on the development of markers to assist in molecular breeding [2]; understanding major issues in agronomy such as drought acclimation, and responses to salinity [3,4]; or the biochemistry underlying the quality and postharvest behaviour of important plant products such as fruits [5]. There has been less emphasis on using metabolomics to understand the responses of field-grown perennial or woody plants to in-field manipulations aimed at improving plant health, productivity or responses to environmental stressors. The translation of plant metabolomics research from model species grown under controlled environment conditions to field, orchard or forest plant production systems iations.
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