Summary
This multi-omics study tracked rhizosphere microbiota succession and associated metabolic changes in forest-cultivated ginseng over 9–24 years, revealing a predictable four-phase microbial succession from organic matter-degrading consortia through a degradation bottleneck to symbiotic and ultimately ginsenoside-synthesizing functional communities. Structural equation modelling demonstrated that microbiota exert the dominant effect on rare ginsenoside accumulation (total effect 0.849), mediated through elevation of lipid and nitrogen-derived metabolites including benzoate derivatives and aspartate, which activate biosynthesis pathways for Rg5 and F3 ginsenosides. The work establishes a mechanistic foundation for optimising ginseng quality through understanding soil microbial ecology.
Regional applicability
This study was conducted in China on a perennial crop under forest cultivation, a system not widely practised in the United Kingdom. The mechanistic insights into microbiota-driven secondary metabolite biosynthesis may be transferable to UK agroforestry or woodland farming contexts, but direct application would require validation under British soil and climate conditions with locally relevant crop species.
Key measures
Rhizosphere microbiota composition and succession; metabolite profiles (benzoate derivatives, aspartate); ginsenoside concentrations (Rg5, F3); effect loadings and path coefficients from structural equation models; variance explained by microbiota (73.3%)
Outcomes reported
The study identified four distinct functional phases of rhizosphere microbiota succession across a 9–24 year growth cycle in ginseng under forest cultivation, and quantified how these microbial communities drive metabolic remodelling and rare ginsenoside accumulation through lipid and nitrogen compound elevation.
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