Summary
This study identifies a mechanistic pathway through which cereal plants (wheat and maize) regulate their own soil environment and condition plant performance in subsequent generations. Root-released benzoxazinoids, particularly their breakdown product MBOA, reshape rhizosphere microbial communities in ways that suppress plant growth and amplify defence signalling and herbivore resistance. The findings reveal how secondary metabolites serve as chemical signals that mediate plant–soil–microbe feedbacks with transgenerational consequences.
UK applicability
The findings are directly relevant to UK cereal production, particularly wheat, as benzoxazinoid metabolism and rhizosphere effects operate across geographic contexts. However, the study was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions; field validation under UK soil and climate conditions would strengthen applicability to practical crop management and soil health strategies.
Key measures
Root-associated fungal and bacterial community composition; plant biomass/growth; jasmonate signalling levels; plant defence metrics; herbivore performance; accumulation of benzoxazinoid breakdown products (particularly MBOA) in soil
Outcomes reported
The study measured how benzoxazinoid root exudates alter rhizosphere fungal and bacterial community composition, plant growth, jasmonate signalling, plant defence responses, and herbivore performance across plant generations. Changes in soil microbiota composition and their link to plant phenotypic outcomes were quantified through sterilisation experiments, microbial profiling, and complementation assays.
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