Summary
This mechanistic study demonstrates that benzoxazinoid secondary metabolites released by cereal roots, particularly their breakdown product MBOA, alter the composition of root-associated microbiota and thereby trigger plant-soil feedbacks affecting growth, defence and herbivore resistance in subsequent plant generations. Using complementation and sterilisation experiments, the authors establish that MBOA acts indirectly through reshaping the rhizosphere microbiota rather than through direct phytotoxic effects. The findings reveal a plant-mediated mechanism for controlling rhizosphere microbial communities and downstream plant performance and plant–herbivore interactions.
UK applicability
The mechanisms identified may be relevant to UK cereal production (wheat and maize), potentially informing management of soil microbiota and plant defence through agronomic practices. However, the study was conducted in controlled or semi-controlled conditions; field validation under diverse UK soil types, climates and management regimes would be needed to establish practical applicability.
Key measures
Root-associated fungal and bacterial community composition; plant biomass/growth; jasmonate signalling levels; plant defence traits; herbivore performance; soil MBOA accumulation; phenotypic responses in untreated soil versus sterilised soil and MBOA-amended soil
Outcomes reported
The study measured changes in root-associated fungal and bacterial communities, plant growth, jasmonate signalling, plant defence responses, and herbivore performance across plant generations following exposure to benzoxazinoid exudates. Complementation experiments identified 6-methoxy-benzoxazolin-2-one (MBOA) as the sufficient and necessary compound mediating these plant-soil feedbacks.
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