Integrated metagenomics and metabolomics analysis reveals changes in the microbiome and metabolites in the rhizosphere soil of Fritillaria unibracteata

Abstract

Fritillaria unibracteata (FU) is a renowned herb in China that requires strict growth conditions in its cultivation process. During this process, the soil microorganisms and their metabolites may directly affect the growth and development of FU, for example, the pathogen infection and sipeimine production. However, few systematic studies have reported the changes in the microbiome and metabolites during FU cultivation thus far. In this work, we simultaneously used metagenomics and metabolomics technology to monitor the changes in microbial communities and metabolites in the rhizosphere of FU during its cultivation for one, two, and three years. Moreover, the interaction between microorganisms and metabolites was investigated by co-occurrence network analysis. The results showed that the microbial composition between the three cultivation-year groups was significantly different (2020-2022). The dominant genera changed from Pseudomonas and Botrytis in CC1 to Mycolicibacterium and Pseudogymnoascus in CC3. The relative abundances of beneficial microorganisms decreased, while the relative abundances of harmful microorganisms showed an increasing trend. The metabolomics results showed that significant changes of the of metabolite composition were observed in the rhizosphere soil, and the relative abundances of some beneficial metabolites showed a decreasing trend. In this study, we discussed the changes in the microbiome and metabolites during the three-year cultivation of FU and revealed the relationship between microorganisms and metabolites. This work provides a reference for the efficient and sustainable cultivation of FU.