Characterise the Response of Amorphophallus konjac to Different Shading Gradients Through Non-Target Metabolomics

Background: Light availability governs plant growth and metabolism; however, the influence of shade intensity on metabolic allocation between leaves and corms in konjac (Amorphophallus konjac) remains unclear. Methods: Untargeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) metabolomics was employed to profile metabolic responses in both tissues under three shading regimes (0%, 50%, and 75%). Results: A total of 1684 annotated metabolites were identified. Shading induced more pronounced changes in leaves (624 differentially accumulated metabolites) than in corms (227). These metabolites participated in oxylipin/jasmonate, lipid, flavonoid, amino acid, and organic acid metabolism. Linoleic acid metabolism was enriched in both tissues, whereas carbon/organic acid metabolism was more prominent in corms, and amino acid/flavonoid metabolism in leaves. Metabolites associated with oxylipins/jasmonates and lysophospholipids peaked at 50% shading, while flavonoids were more abundant under full light (0% shading). Among the three levels, 50% shading elicited the most significant metabolic response. Venn analysis identified 526 leaf-specific, 129 corm-specific, and 98 shared metabolites. Conclusions: This study establishes a metabolic framework for understanding shade responses in konjac and identifies candidate metabolites and pathways for future research on light-regulated growth and development.