After intercropping pepper with areca nut, pepper plants recovered their growth. This might be related to the mutual interaction between the rhizospheres of the two plants, especially the promoting effect of areca nut root exudates on pepper plants. However, the specific components that play a role remain unclear, which makes it difficult to provide a basis for in-depth research. In this study, the root exudates of pepper and areca nut seedlings were extracted by hydroponics. The full components of the root exudates were identified by LC-MS/MS metabolomics, and the specific differential components unique to areca nut root exudates were screened out. After classification, these were used as the exogenous substances and added to further clarify the effects of different components on pepper seed germination and seedling growth. A total of 426 metabolites were detected in the root exudates of pepper, and 438 metabolites were identified in those of areca nut. There were 509 differential metabolites between areca nut and pepper, among which 329 were significantly different, and 138 were more abundant in areca nut and 191 in pepper. The contents of flavonoids and organic acids were higher in areca nut root exudates than those in pepper, while the contents of sugars, phenolic acids, coumarins, benzoic acids and amino acids were higher in pepper than in areca nut. After classification of the differential metabolites with high content in areca nut root exudates into organic acids, amino acids, phenolic acids, sugars and flavonoids, two with higher fold differences were selected as specific components for addition. The results showed that the addition of flavonoids had the highest germination rate and germination potential of pepper seeds, and the height of seedlings, dry weight of aboveground and underground parts were the highest. The addition of organic acids and phenolic acids was second, while the effects of sugars and amino acids were not obvious. In conclusion, there are many specific differential components in areca nut root exudates, but the promoting effects of different components on the growth of pepper seedlings in soil culture after intercropping are different. Among them, the flavonoids group has a large number and high content, and has obvious promoting effects on pepper seed germination and seedling growth, which is the main component of areca nut root exudates that alleviates the disorder of pepper intercropping. The results of this study provides a basis and theoretical evidence for revealing the mechanism of rhizosphere interaction between the two plants and analyzing the alleviation of pepper intercropping disorder by intercropping with areca nut.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |