The response of Panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen addition
Abstract Background Nitrogen availability plays a pivotal role in shaping the composition of root-associated microbial consortia in plants. Nevertheless, elucidating the mechanisms by which nitrogen availability regulates microbial populations and their metabolic activities across different root-ass...
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2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07031-6 |
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| author | Kexin Li Mingming Wan Mei Han Limin Yang |
| author_facet | Kexin Li Mingming Wan Mei Han Limin Yang |
| author_sort | Kexin Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Nitrogen availability plays a pivotal role in shaping the composition of root-associated microbial consortia in plants. Nevertheless, elucidating the mechanisms by which nitrogen availability regulates microbial populations and their metabolic activities across different root-associated ecological niches requires further investigation. This research employed an integrative approach combining microbiological approaches with non-targeted metabolomic analyses to examine nitrogen-mediated variations in microbial communities and metabolic processes within ginseng root systems. High-throughput sequencing alongside UPLC-MS/MS analytical platforms was utilized to conduct this multidimensional investigation. Results Our findings reveal that ginseng treated with N1 exhibited significantly increased yield by 29.90% compared to N0 and by 38.05% compared to N2 (p < 0.05). Additionally, nitrogen application markedly reduced the diversity of microbial communities within various segments of the root system, including rhizosphere soil (RS), rhizoplane soil (TS), fibrous roots (F), and phloem (P). Concurrently, there was a shift in bacterial communities from oligotrophic to eutrophic groups, with specific enrichment of groups such as Rhodanobacter and Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, which play crucial roles in the nitrogen cycling process. Metabolomic profiling revealed substantial modifications in soil metabolite profiles under nitrogen treatment, with marked alterations detected across 11 critical biochemical pathways encompassing plant-derived secondary metabolite biosynthesis and environmental microbial metabolic processes. Correlation analysis further indicated that the yield of ginseng and total ginsenoside content in F consistently varied in conjunction with soil nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) content in the RS. Additionally, m-cresol was found to play a pivotal role in inhibiting the pathogenic fungus Alternaria, actively responding to pH fluctuations and promoting the synthesis of total ginsenosides in ginseng. Conclusion These insights elucidate the complex interplay between nitrogen levels and both microbial and metabolomic dynamics, providing a foundational understanding for the strategic manipulation of microbial communities to enhance the sustainability of ginseng agriculture. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a2ae82f3b464c17b909ba51aff11aba |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2229 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Plant Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a2ae82f3b464c17b909ba51aff11aba2025-08-20T04:01:53ZengBMCBMC Plant Biology1471-22292025-07-0125112010.1186/s12870-025-07031-6The response of Panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen additionKexin Li0Mingming Wan1Mei Han2Limin Yang3College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jilin Agricultural UniversityCollege of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jilin Agricultural UniversityCollege of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jilin Agricultural UniversityCollege of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jilin Agricultural UniversityAbstract Background Nitrogen availability plays a pivotal role in shaping the composition of root-associated microbial consortia in plants. Nevertheless, elucidating the mechanisms by which nitrogen availability regulates microbial populations and their metabolic activities across different root-associated ecological niches requires further investigation. This research employed an integrative approach combining microbiological approaches with non-targeted metabolomic analyses to examine nitrogen-mediated variations in microbial communities and metabolic processes within ginseng root systems. High-throughput sequencing alongside UPLC-MS/MS analytical platforms was utilized to conduct this multidimensional investigation. Results Our findings reveal that ginseng treated with N1 exhibited significantly increased yield by 29.90% compared to N0 and by 38.05% compared to N2 (p < 0.05). Additionally, nitrogen application markedly reduced the diversity of microbial communities within various segments of the root system, including rhizosphere soil (RS), rhizoplane soil (TS), fibrous roots (F), and phloem (P). Concurrently, there was a shift in bacterial communities from oligotrophic to eutrophic groups, with specific enrichment of groups such as Rhodanobacter and Burkholderia-Caballeronia-Paraburkholderia, which play crucial roles in the nitrogen cycling process. Metabolomic profiling revealed substantial modifications in soil metabolite profiles under nitrogen treatment, with marked alterations detected across 11 critical biochemical pathways encompassing plant-derived secondary metabolite biosynthesis and environmental microbial metabolic processes. Correlation analysis further indicated that the yield of ginseng and total ginsenoside content in F consistently varied in conjunction with soil nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) content in the RS. Additionally, m-cresol was found to play a pivotal role in inhibiting the pathogenic fungus Alternaria, actively responding to pH fluctuations and promoting the synthesis of total ginsenosides in ginseng. Conclusion These insights elucidate the complex interplay between nitrogen levels and both microbial and metabolomic dynamics, providing a foundational understanding for the strategic manipulation of microbial communities to enhance the sustainability of ginseng agriculture.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07031-6NitrogenGinseng root compartmentMicrobial assemblyCo-occurrence networkMetabolomicsCorrelation |
| spellingShingle | Kexin Li Mingming Wan Mei Han Limin Yang The response of Panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen addition BMC Plant Biology Nitrogen Ginseng root compartment Microbial assembly Co-occurrence network Metabolomics Correlation |
| title | The response of Panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen addition |
| title_full | The response of Panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen addition |
| title_fullStr | The response of Panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen addition |
| title_full_unstemmed | The response of Panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen addition |
| title_short | The response of Panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen addition |
| title_sort | response of panax ginseng root microbial communities and metabolites to nitrogen addition |
| topic | Nitrogen Ginseng root compartment Microbial assembly Co-occurrence network Metabolomics Correlation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12870-025-07031-6 |
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