Study on In-Forest Planting to Promote the Formation of Excellent Quality of Medicinal Herb, Atractylodes lancea
摘要
Field planting results in variable rhizome traits and leading to a reduction in the quality of A. lancea. By simulating the habitat of A. lancea, we conducted a study on the quality of A. lancea rhizomes by in-forest planting. We compared the effects of ecological factors (e.g., soil and light) on the formation of agronomic traits, physiological, biochemical, and quality indices between A. lancea under in-forest planting and field planting conditions over 1–2 years. Our results demonstrate that, compared with field planting, biennial A. lancea rhizomes grown in the in-forest exhibit superior quality traits, including increased cinnabar dots in cross-sections and higher concentrations of medicinal components (volatile oils, atractylodin, and atractylon). Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between the expression levels of key biosynthetic enzyme-encoding genes (FAD, ACC, HMGR, SS, and FPPS) and the accumulation of these medicinal components, with significantly higher expression in in-forest-grown plants than in field-planted ones. Reduced antioxidant enzyme activity in in-forest-planted A. lancea suggests that mild environmental stress promotes secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Additionally, lower chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rates indicate that moderate shading enhances medicinal quality. In-forest-planted A. lancea thrived in nutrient-rich soil with a diverse microbial community. Notably, increased abundances of Gp2 and Gp3 bacteria were positively associated with elevated levels of volatile oils, atractylodin, and atractylon. Mineral-enriched soil and suitable light conditions are key factors for producing high-quality A. lancea in in-forest planting systems.