Abstract
Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine, contains several bioactive ingredients. The root-associated microbial communities play a crucial role in the production of secondary metabolites in plants. However, the correlation of root-associated bacteria and fungi with the bioactive ingredients production in A. mongholicus has not been elucidated. This study aimed to examine the changes in soil properties, root bioactive ingredients, and microbial communities in different cultivation years. The root-associated bacterial and fungal composition was analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. The correlation between root-associated bacteria and fungi, soil properties, and six major bioactive ingredients were examined using multivariate correlation analysis. Results showed that soil properties and bioactive ingredients were distinct across different cultivation years. The composition of the rhizosphere microbiome was different from that of the root endosphere microbiome. The bacterial community structure was affected by the cultivation year and exhibited a time-decay pattern. Soil properties affected the fungal community composition. It was found that 18 root-associated bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and four fungal OTUs were positively and negatively correlated with bioactive ingredient content, respectively. The abundance of Stenotrophomonas in the rhizosphere was positively correlated with astragaloside content. Phyllobacterium and Inquilinus in the endosphere were positively correlated with the calycosin content. In summary, this study provided a new opportunity and theoretical reference for improving the production and quality of in A. mongholicus, which thus increase the pharmacological value of A. mongholicus.
Highlights
Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao (A. mongholicus) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the legume family
This study explored the composition and structure of root-associated microbial communities and analyzed the effects of soil properties and cultivation years on root-associated bacteria and fungi to address several fundamental relevant questions: (1) How the microbial community structures vary in different cultivation years? (2) Whether soil properties or cultivation years has a greater impact on the microbial community; (3) Which microbes are related to the accumulation of bioactive ingredients in the root of A. mongholicus?
This study investigated the structure of the rhizosphere and root endosphere microbiomes of the medicinal plant A. mongholicus across different cultivation years and elucidated the correlation between the microbial communities, bioactive ingredient and soil properties
Summary
Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge. var. mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao (A. mongholicus) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the legume family. Mongholicus (Bge.) Hsiao (A. mongholicus) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the legume family. Plant-associated microbes, including those inhabiting the plant tissue and rhizosphere, can improve plant health and regulate root metabolism (Philippot et al, 2013). Previous studies reported that the amount of bioactive ingredients varied widely depending on the cultivation location, seasons, and plant age. These factors determine the profile of microbes that have adapted to the host medicinal plant and further promote plant-microbe interactions (Ma et al, 2002; Koberl et al, 2013). The plant microbiome may determine the efficacy of herbal medicines through the regulation of host metabolism (Huang et al, 2018)
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