Metabolite Profiling and Classification of Highbush Blueberry Leaves under Different Shade Treatments

Abstract

Blueberry belongs to the genus Vaccinium L. in the Ericaceae and is an economically important shrub that produces small berries that are rich in nutrients. There were differences in the appearance of blueberry leaves under different shade treatments. To explore the differences in metabolites in blueberry leaves under different shading treatments, nontargeted liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) metabonomic analysis was performed. Different shade intensities resulted in significant differences in the contents of metabolites. A total of 6879 known metabolites were detected, including 750 significantly differentially expressed metabolites, including mainly lipids and lipid-like molecules and phenylpropanoid and polyketide superclass members. Based on a Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, the flavone and flavonol biosynthesis pathways were the most significantly enriched. The results of this study provide a reference and scientific basis for the establishment of a high-quality and high-yield shaded blueberry cultivation system.

Effects of Fruit Shading on Gene and Protein Expression During Starch and Oil Accumulation in Developing Styrax tonkinensis Kernels

“…In higher plants, photosynthesis occurs in all green parts including leaves and other non-leaf organs, such as bracts, pedicels, and pericarps ( Aschan and Pfanz, 2003 ; Kocurek et al, 2015 ). The change of photosynthesis rate effects the metabolite distribution ( Wu et al, 2022 ). The supply of carbohydrate required by developing seed is affected significantly by treatments, such as fruit shading or pedicel ring cutting, which severely limits the delivery of photosynthate from the maternal plant ( Hua et al, 2012 ).…”

“…The transport of photosynthates from source to sink is one of the most important factors affecting seed development ( Li et al, 2011 ; Hua et al, 2012 ). Different light intensity caused by shading treatment resulted in significant differences in metabolites in blueberry leaves ( Wu et al, 2022 ). Photosynthesis in the pericarp contributes a certain proportion of the source carbon deposited in kernels and affects seed quality and kernel nutrient accumulation ( Xu et al, 2016 ).…”

Comparative Analysis of the Morphological, Physiological, Proteomic, and Metabolic Mechanisms of the “Biloxi” Blueberry Response to Shade Stress

“…The experimental design was a single factor experiment. Three shading treatments were stablished, and different layers of black shading nets were used to control the light density ( Wu et al, 2022 ). The three treatments were the following: no shading (CK, total light), 50% shading (T1, single-layer black shade net) and 80% shading (T2, two-layer black shade net).…”

“…For the specific parameters of the metabolite extraction process, multivariate statistical methods and differentially expressed metabolite (DEM) enrichment of the nine blueberry leaf samples, please refer to previous studies in our laboratory ( Wu et al, 2022 ). The top 20 DEPs and DEMs were used to calculate the expression correlation between DEPs and DEMs by the Pearson correlation algorithm using relative content data.…”

“…Blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum L.) is a perennial shrub of the genus Vaccinium in Ericaceae and an economically important woody fruit crop ( Wu et al, 2022 ). It was originally produced in North America and then began to be cultivated and produced in more than 30 countries, such as Canada, China and Japan ( Gupta et al, 2015 ).…”