Abstract
BackgroundAlfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important forage resources in the world due to its high nutritive value. However, its nutritional quality decreases during the transition from budding to flowering. Previous research revealed a decreased crude protein content and increased fibre content in alfalfa forage harvested at later maturity stages, leading to a reduction in nutritional quality. However, the reasons for this phenomenon have not been explained at the molecular level.ResultsIn this study, leaves from the WL319HQ alfalfa cultivar were harvested at two developmental stages (budding and mid-flowering). The leaves were used to test the variable expression of proteins and metabolites during these stages. TMT-based quantitative proteomics and LC-MS/MS-based untargeted metabolomics methods were employed in this study. A total of 415 proteins and 49 metabolites showed at least a 1.2-fold difference in abundance during these stages. Most of the differentially expressed proteins and metabolites were involved in metabolic processes, including carbohydrate metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of amino acids. Alfalfa leaves in mid-flowering contain less crude protein due to the decrease in L-glutamic acid content. Carbohydrate metabolism provides the raw material for the synthesis of hemicellulose, resulting in an increase in the hemicellulose content of the alfalfa leaves, leading to an increase in the NDF content. In addition, the increase in L-phenylalanine content could have provided the conditions necessary for lignin synthesis. These are the main factors leading to reductions in alfalfa relative feed value (RFV) and quality.ConclusionsThis study used joint proteomic and metabolomic analyses to elucidate the relationship between the reduction in the nutritional value of alfalfa and complex biological processes. This provides a theoretical basis for producing high-quality alfalfa hay and sets the stage for further research.
Highlights
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important forage resources in the world due to its high nutritive value
Large numbers of differentially expressed metabolites and differentially expressed proteins were found to be mainly involved in carbohydrate metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis and the biosynthesis of amino acids
Alfalfa leaves in the mid-flowering stage contain less crude protein, due to a decrease in L-glutamic acid content
Summary
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is one of the most important forage resources in the world due to its high nutritive value. Previous research revealed a decreased crude protein content and increased fibre content in alfalfa forage harvested at later maturity stages, leading to a reduction in nutritional quality. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a well-known forage crop that has been cultivated since antiquity It is the most widely grown leguminous crop in the world and exhibits high protein, amino acid, vitamin and mineral contents [1, 2]. Alfalfa harvested at the budding stage has a greater leaf yield than stem yield, but the early flower leaf and stem yields are nearly the same. Many researchers have reported decreased crude protein (CP) and increased fibre contents in alfalfa forage harvested at advancing maturity stages [8]
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