Background:Optimizing cultivation techniques for traditional Chinese medicine has become a crucial means to improve the quality of medicinal materials.Microbial agents,as environmentally friendly and efficient plant growth promoters and soil conditioners,have increasingly attracted attention in eco-agriculture research.Objective:Our understanding remains limited regarding how the application of microbial agents,alone or in combination,affects changes in the rhizosphere microbiome and its association with the bioactive components of medicinal materials.Methods:In this study,Epimedium pubescens Maxim.was employed as a model plant to examine the effects of 2 microbial agents(Paenibacillus mucilaginosus and Bacillus subtilis)applied individually and in combination on plant growth and the accumulation of bioactive components.Additionally,this study explored the relationship between the rhizosphere microbiome and plant development.Results:The application of microbial agents increased the yield of E.pubescens leaves by 20.30％to 33.66％and enhanced the total flavonol glycosides content by 11.40％to 29.94％.Meanwhile,microbial treatments reshaped the rhizosphere microbiome,promoted the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms(e.g.,Frankia and Paenibacillus),suppressed phytopathogenic fungi such as Didymella and Scytalidium,and enhanced the stability of the soil microbial co-occurrence network.The partial least squares path model suggested that microbial agents not only directly impact the quality of medicinal herbs but also indirectly alter the accumula-tion of bioactive components by modulating the soil microbiome.Conclusion:These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between medicinal plant quality and rhizosphere micro-biomes as mediated by microbial agents.They also provide a basis for designing and manipulating synthetic microbial communities to promote sustainable development in eco-agriculture.

Background: Optimizing cultivation techniques for traditional Chinese medicine has become a crucial means to improve the quality of medicinal materials. Microbial agents, as environmentally friendly and efficient plant growth promoters and soil conditioners, have increasingly attracted attention in eco-agriculture research. Objective: Our understanding remains limited regarding how the application of microbial agents, alone or in combination, affects changes in the rhizosphere microbiome and its association with the bioactive components of medicinal materials. Methods: In this study, Epimedium pubescens Maxim. was employed as a model plant to examine the effects of 2 microbial agents(Paenibacillus mucilaginosus and Bacillus subtilis) applied individually and in combination on plant growth and the accumulation of bioactive components. Additionally, this study explored the relationship between the rhizosphere microbiome and plant development. Results: The application of microbial agents increased the yield of E. pubescens leaves by 20.30% to 33.66% and enhanced the total flavonol glycosides content by 11.40% to 29.94%. Meanwhile, microbial treatments reshaped the rhizosphere microbiome, promoted the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms (e.g., Frankia and Paenibacillus), suppressed phytopathogenic fungi such as Didymella and Scytalidium, and enhanced the stability of the soil microbial co-occurrence network. The partial least squares path model suggested that microbial agents not only directly impact the quality of medicinal herbs but also indirectly alter the accumulation of bioactive components by modulating the soil microbiome. Conclusion: These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between medicinal plant quality and rhizosphere microbiomes as mediated by microbial agents. They also provide a basis for designing and manipulating synthetic microbial communities to promote sustainable development in eco-agriculture.

Background:Optimizing cultivation techniques for traditional Chinese medicine has become a crucial means to improve the quality of medicinal materials.Microbial agents,as environmentally friendly and efficient plant growth promoters and soil conditioners,have increasingly attracted attention in eco-agriculture research.Objective:Our understanding remains limited regarding how the application of microbial agents,alone or in combination,affects changes in the rhizosphere microbiome and its association with the bioactive components of medicinal materials.Methods:In this study,Epimedium pubescens Maxim.was employed as a model plant to examine the effects of 2 microbial agents(Paenibacillus mucilaginosus and Bacillus subtilis)applied individually and in combination on plant growth and the accumulation of bioactive components.Additionally,this study explored the relationship between the rhizosphere microbiome and plant development.Results:The application of microbial agents increased the yield of E.pubescens leaves by 20.30％to 33.66％and enhanced the total flavonol glycosides content by 11.40％to 29.94％.Meanwhile,microbial treatments reshaped the rhizosphere microbiome,promoted the enrichment of beneficial microorganisms(e.g.,Frankia and Paenibacillus),suppressed phytopathogenic fungi such as Didymella and Scytalidium,and enhanced the stability of the soil microbial co-occurrence network.The partial least squares path model suggested that microbial agents not only directly impact the quality of medicinal herbs but also indirectly alter the accumula-tion of bioactive components by modulating the soil microbiome.Conclusion:These findings deepen our understanding of the relationship between medicinal plant quality and rhizosphere micro-biomes as mediated by microbial agents.They also provide a basis for designing and manipulating synthetic microbial communities to promote sustainable development in eco-agriculture.

ObjectiveTo establish a method for the analysis of oligosaccharides in Atractylodes lancea rhizome based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF-MS） and a method for the quantification of oligosaccharides in A. lancea rhizome based on UPLC-evaporative light scattering detector （ELSD）， and to investigate the oligosaccharide characteristics of A. lancea rhizome from different habitats. MethodUPLC-Q-TOF-MS was used to identify the oligosaccharides in A. lancea rhizome with the mobile phase of 0.1% ammonia acetonitrile solution （A）-0.1% ammonia solution （B） for gradient elution （0-0.5 min， 98%A； 0.5-2.0 min， 98%-89%A； 2.0-2.5 min， 89%-86%A； 2.5-5.5 min， 86%-80%A； 5.5-6.5 min， 80%-72%A； 6.5-9.5 min， 72%-63%A； 9.5-14.0 min， 63%-50%A； 14.0-16.0 min， 50%A； 16.0-16.5 min， 50%-98%A； 16.5-20 min， 98%A）， the column temperature of 60 ℃ and the flow rate of 0.2 mL·min^-1. Electrospray ionization （ESI） was used to collect data in negative ion mode and the detection range was m/z 50-1 500. The qualitative analysis of oligosaccharides was accomplished by retention time， relative molecular weight， primary and secondary MS information of characteristic fragment ions in combination with reference substance information. UPLC-ELSD was employed to determine the contents of nine oligosaccharides in A. lancea rhizome with the mobile phase of 0.1% ammonia acetonitrile solution （A）-0.1% ammonia solution （B） for gradient elution （0-1 min， 98%-75%A； 1-7 min， 75%-70%A； 7-18 min， 70%-55%A； 18-23 min， 55%A； 23-23.5 min， 55%-98%A； 23.5-28 min， 98%A）， the drift tube temperature of ELSD was set at 50 ℃. Principal component analysis （PCA） and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis （OPLS-DA） were used to analyze the classification and differential components between A. lancea rhizome from different habitats. ResultA total of 24 oligosaccharides， containing 11 pairs of isomers， were identified from A. lancea rhizome. Among them， compared with samples from Anhui， Chongqing， Nanjing and Shaanxi， the contents of kestose（GF2）， 1F-fructofuranosylnystose （GF4）， kestohexose （GF5）， fructo-oligosaccharide DP10 （GF9） in samples from Maoshan were statistically significant （P<0.05）， and the total mass fraction of sucrose （GF1）-GF9 reached 16.47%. The peak area ratio of fructose-fructose oligosaccharide to its isomer sucrose-fructose oligosaccharide was greater than 1 in samples from Maoshan. ConclusionThe types and contents of oligosaccharides in A. lancea rhizome vary greatly among different habitats， and the peak area ratio of fructose-fructose oligosaccharide to sucrose-fructose oligosaccharide >1 may be one of the geoherb characteristics of A. lancea rhizome， which can provide a reference for the development， utilization and quality control of this herb.