Comparative metabolomic analysis between tomato and halophyte plants under intercropping conditions

Abstract

Halophyte‐based intercropping appears nowadays as a valuable approach in soil remediation and agriculture. In this work, intercropping between the halophyte Arthrocaulon macrostachyum and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. Sargento) was studied in both plant species using comparative mass spectrometry‐based metabolomics coupled to metabolic pathway predictions. A significant number of changes in metabolites was observed in the halophyte. In terms of alteration of specific metabolic pathways, intercropping conditions stimulated sugar and starch metabolisms in tomato, whereas in the halophyte, intercropping mainly altered amino acid‐related pathways. In addition, arginine and proline metabolism were commonly affected in both tomato and halophyte plants. Moreover, metabolomic changes were associated with physiological alterations in tomato. In this sense, mild oxidative stress was induced in intercropped tomato plants, which, in turn, could trigger signaling events leading to plant adjustment to intercropping conditions. This study represents the first approach toward understanding intercropping interactions at the metabolome level and its effect on plant physiology, opening up prospects for further characterization of this crop cultivation strategy.

Tomato plants expressing a stilbene synthase gene display genotype‐depending alterations in metabolome profile and antioxidant system

“…The "Galactose metabolism" in leaves and fruits, as well as the "Porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism" in leaves and the "Starch and sucrose metabolism" in fruits, were among the most affected metabolic pathways (Figure 6, Supplemental Tables S5 and S6), suggesting alterations in sugar metabolism and energy supply leading to modified secondary metabolites production. The alteration of metabolic pathways related to sugar metabolism and secondary metabolites production was also reported in tomato plants subjected to intercropping conditions (Jurado-Mañogil et al, 2023) and in plants submitted to environmental stresses (Boonchaisri et al, 2021). In addition, "Tyrosine metabolism" was also altered in leaves and fruits (Figure 6, Tables S5 and S6), being some tyrosine-derived metabolites such as tocopherols, plastoquinone, and ubiquinone vital for plants.…”

“…The MS peaks module of MetaboAnalyst 5.0 was used to identify metabolic pathways differentially affected using the Mummichog algorithm, which provides a direct mapping of mass spectra to existing pathway databases (Li et al, 2013). The following criteria were used: molecular weight tolerance setup at 5 ppm, primary ions enforced, and Arabidopsis thaliana as pathway library (Jurado-Mañogil et al, 2023).…”