Metabolomics analysis of rhizospheric soil: New evidence supporting the ecological advantages of soybean maize strip intercropping system.

This study investigates the variations in rhizosphere metabolism between sole cropped soybeans and soybean-maize strip intercropping systems, utilizing ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) for metabolomic analysis of soybean rhizosphere soil extracts at various growth stages. Our findings reveal that the growth stage exerts the most significant influence on the metabolic profiles of soybean rhizosphere soils, followed by cropping method and then cultivar differences. Specifically, during the grain filling stage, the metabolic ion population of soybean rhizosphere soil distinctly differs from other stages, with lower levels of amides, alcohols, ketones, esters, and nitrogen-containing metabolites, but higher concentrations of phenolic acid metabolites. Furthermore, intercropping with maize significantly reduces the content of phenolic acid metabolites in the soybean rhizosphere compared to sole cropping, indicating a decrease in allelopathic auto-toxic potential. This reduction varies among different soybean germplasms. Our results highlight the grain filling stage for shifts in the soybean metabolic ion population of rhizosphere, suggesting that as soybeans mature, their roots allelopathic potential increases. This study underscores the importance of intercropping systems in sustainable land management, particularly the soybean-maize strip intercropping practice in Southwest China, by elucidating the impact on rhizosphere metabolic dynamics and the potential for reducing allelopathic auto-toxicity. • Growth stage majorly impacts soybean soil metabolism. • Intercropping reduces phenolic acid in rhizosphere. • Intercropping lowers soybean allelopathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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