Melatonin Attenuates the Urea-Induced Yields Improvement Through Remodeling Transcriptome and Rhizosphere Microbial Community Structure in Soybean

Frontiers in Microbiology

Xia Li¹  Qin Han¹  Renhao Xiao¹  Yu Liu¹  Qingqing Chai¹  Xuehai Zhang¹  Yongfang Hao¹  Hongtao Ji¹  Qingnan Hao²  Junbo Deng² 

[1] National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China;Oil Crops Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China;

关键词: soybean yields;    foliar application;    gene expression;    nitrogen metabolism;    microbiome;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fmicb.2022.903467

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Foliar application of nitrogen to enhance crop productivity has been widely used. Melatonin is an effective regulator in promoting plant growth. However, the effects of melatonin and the combination of melatonin and nitrogen on soybeans yields production remain largely unknown. In this study, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of spraying leaves with melatonin and urea on soybeans. Foliar application of urea significantly increased soybean yields and melatonin did not affect the yields, while combination of melatonin and urea significantly reduced the yields compared to the application of urea alone. A leaf transcriptional profile was then carried out to reveal the underlying mechanism and found that foliar spraying of urea specifically induced the expression of genes related to amino acid transport and nitrogen metabolism. However, foliar application of melatonin significantly changed the transcriptional pattern established by urea application and increased the expression of genes related to abiotic stress signaling pathways. The effects of melatonin and urea treatment on soil microbiome were also investigated. Neither melatonin nor urea application altered the soil microbial alpha diversity, but melatonin application changed rhizosphere microbial community structure, whereas the combination of melatonin and urea did not. Melatonin or urea application altered the abundance of certain taxa. The number of taxa changed by melatonin treatment was higher than urea treatment. Collectively, our results provide new and valuable insights into the effects of foliar application of melatonin to urea and further show that melatonin exerts strong antagonistic effects on urea-induced soybean yields, gene expression and certain soil microorganisms.

【 授权许可】

Unknown