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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

A Hydroponic Co-cultivation System for Simultaneous and Systematic Analysis of Plant/Microbe Molecular Interactions and Signaling
Published on: July 22, 2017
Linking Nitrate-Modulated Plant Growth and Metabolic Reprogramming to Rhizobacterial Recruitment: Insights from the
Yuming Sun1, Yingzhu Yue2, Jin Qian1
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Plant Resources, Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210014, China.
Abstract:
The growth-differentiation trade-off limits productivity in secondary metabolite-rich crops. Here, using Stevia rebaudiana as a model plant, we find that the N source strongly regulates the trade-off between biomass and steviol glycoside (SG) accumulation, with a nitrate [NO3-]-to-ammonium [NH4+] ratio of 75:25 yielding optimal SG production. Metabolomics analyses attributed the benefits of a high proportion of NO3- supply to redirected carbon flux into phenolic and terpenoid pathways. While overall rhizomicrobial diversity remained unaffected by N forms, the composition of the bacterial, rather than fungal, community changed significantly. NO3- supply favored bacterial taxa from the Burkholderiales, Hyphalales, and Cytophagales orders while diminishing those belonging to Vicinamibacterales. Notably, NH4+-associated bacteria were linked to amino acid synthesis, while NO3--enriched taxa, including Sphingomonadaceae and Thermoanaerobaculaceae, correlated with secondary metabolite accumulation. Our study highlighted the tight link between N-form-regulated trade-offs and rhizobacterial community assembly, providing insights into plant-microbe interactions and strategies for optimizing crop yield and bioactive compound accumulation.
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