Differential response of different Radix pseudostellariae cultivars to continuous cropping stress and its intraspecific intercropping effects
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: It is an important pathway to promote the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine agriculture to explore the environment-friendly technology to alleviate the continuous cropping obstacles of medicinal plants. In this study, ISSR molecular marker technique was used to identify 8 cultivars of R. pseudostellariae from different authentic production areas in China, which proved to have obvious molecular polymorphism. Those identified cultivars were then used as experimental materials. High pressure gas chromatography (HPLC), high-through sequencing (HTS), Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and crop physiology technology were used to explore the environmental adaptability of the medicinal plant varieties and their response to continuous cropping in the main producing area of R. pseudostellariae in Zherong, Fujian province during 2017-2019. Based on the results, two representative varieties of R. pseudostellariae were selected for intraspecific intercropping practice to study the effects of intraspecific intercropping on the growth of consecutive cropping R. pseudostellariae and its underlying mechanism of microbial flora in the rhizosphere soil. The results showed that the growth performance of these varieties was different grown in authentic production area of R. Pseudostellariae in Zherong, Fujian province. Three cultivars, such as Zhengshen 1 (ZSⅠ), Kangbing 1 (KB), and Qiantaizishen 1 (QT) had the highest medicinal yield, the reverse was true in the case of Jiangsujurong (JR) and Xuanshen 1 (XS) cultivars in newly cropping condition. Compared with that of the newly planted, the fresh weight of plant height, root length, and maximum root circumference and aboveground and underground parts decreased significantly at the seedling stage, respectively, thus resulting in shortened root tuber, decreasing single root tuber weight at the mature stage, which was considered as the main reasons for the significant decrease in the yield of R. pseudostellariae after monoculture for two years. In terms of medicinal quality, in the comparison with those of the newly planted, R. pseudostellariae, the contents of main active components, such as total polysaccharides and heterophyllin B were decreased significantly, the reverse was true in the contents of total saponins in all used cultivars after monoculture for two years, of which ZSⅡcultivar stood out in the case. The results also suggested that it was the best way to alleviate the replanting diseases, consequently increased the medicinal yield and quality using a rotation mode with nonlocal cultivars or an intraspecific intercropping pattern by different cultivars. Further analysis showed that the intraspecific intercropping facilitation resulted from the improvement of rhizosphere soil microbial diversity in the cropping system, that is, it could significantly decrease pathogens such as Fusarium, oxysporum and increase beneficial bacteria such as Pseudomonas. spp, thus, improving the microbial structure and its functional diversity in rhizosphere soil under the intercropping system. Therefore, it is the key to realize the sustainable development of TCM agriculture to excavate the potential synergistic effect of intraspecific intercropping with multiple varieties of medicinal plants and construct the corresponding cultivation techniques in the cropping system.
Source: ACTA AGRONOMICA SINICA
Language: English
Subfield: Agronomy and Crop Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $941
OpenAlex ID: W7118509983