Substrate-driven reprogramming of the rhizosphere metabolome underlies enhanced tomato growth and quality in soilless cultivation

Summary

Introduction The rhizosphere metabolome is a crucial mediator of plant-substrate interactions, yet how different cultivation substrates reprogram this metabolic interface and influence crop performance remains poorly understood. Methods Using tomato as a model, we employed non-targeted metabolomics based on solvent extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to compare rhizosphere metabolic profiles under three substrates: conventional facility soil (SL), pinecone residue (PR), and peat substrate (PS). Results We identified and annotated 276 metabolites, with lipids and lipid-like molecules being the most abundant class (24.28%). Substrate type fundamentally reshaped the metabolome, with PR inducing the most distinct profile and PS triggering the most extensive meta