Influence of Nutrient (NPK) Factors on Growth, and Pharmacodynamic Component Biosynthesis of Atractylodes chinensis: An Insight on Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase (ACC), 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-CoA Reductase (HMGR), and Farnesyl Pyrophosphate Synthase (FPPS) Signaling Responses

Abstract

In the planting of crops, especially medicinal plants, formula fertilization is important for improving the utilization rate of elements, soil quality, crop yield, and quality. Therefore, it is important to study targeted fertilizer application schemes for sustainable agricultural development and environmental protection. In this study, an L9(34) orthogonal design was used to conduct a field experiment to study the effects of NPK combined application on the growth and pharmacodynamic component biosynthesis of Atractylodes chinensis (DC.) Koidz. Results showed that after applying a base fertilizer at the seedling stage (late May), topdressing at the vegetative stage (late June) and fruit stage (late August) was beneficial to the growth and development of A. chinensis. The high concentrations of phosphorus were conducive to the accumulation of yield and effective components, and the best harvest time was after late October. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the comprehensive score of T6 treatment was the highest, indicating that the optimal fertilization scheme for the high yield and high quality of A. chinensis was (N2P3K1): N 180, P2O5 225, and K2O 105 kg⋅ha–1. A signaling response analysis showed that during the growth and development of A. chinensis, the T6 fertilization scheme had clear effects on the activity and gene expression of the key enzymes acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase (FPPS). Under the T4 [(N2P1K2): N 180, P2O5 75, and K2O 210 kg⋅ha–1] fertilization scheme, the activity and gene expression of the key enzyme 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) were higher. Moreover, ACC was closely related to the synthesis of the polyacetylene component atractylodin, and FPPS played an important regulatory role in the synthesis of sesquiterpene components atractylenolide II, β-eudesmol, and atractylon. In summary, the high phosphorus fertilization scheme T6 could notably increase the yield of A. chinensis, and promote the accumulation of polyacetylene and sesquiterpene volatile oils by increasing the expression of ACC and FPPS. Therefore, we postulate that the precise application of nutrients (NPK) plays a vital role in the yield formation and quality regulation of A. chinensis.

Optimal NPK Fertilizer Combination Increases Panax ginseng Yield and Quality and Affects Diversity and Structure of Rhizosphere Fungal Communities

“…In this study, precise NPK application rates and proportions were key in increasing ginseng growth and development. First, the growth of ginseng aboveground parts (i.e., plant height and stem and leaf fresh weight) showed high adaptability and responsiveness to the N 1 P 3 K 3 (T3) treatment, which is consistent with applications of P and K fertilizers as keys to the vigorous growth of leaves on plant stems (Sun et al, 2022 ). Second, ginseng belowground biomass (i.e., rhizome fresh and dry weights) was also analyzed because rhizome biomass directly determines yields of medicinal materials.…”

“…Growth characteristics reflect the adaptability of plants to the soil environment and are important indexes to evaluate plant vitality (Sun et al, 2022 ). Compared with CK, plant height increased in the fertilization treatments, except in T9, and the increases of 1.24-fold in T3 and 1.22-fold in T7 were significant ( p < 0.05).…”

“…Because the scheme of low P and high N and K amounts of fertilizer obtained the greatest benefits in ginseng cultivation, N fertilizer at 500 kg·ha −1 , P fertilizer at 150 kg·ha −1 , and K fertilizer at 600 kg·ha −1 are recommended in agricultural production. Optimizing NPK composition to achieve efficient and sustainable agricultural production appears to involve complex processes that are entirely dependent on the harmonious behavior of the plant–soil system (Wei et al, 2018 ; Sun et al, 2022 ). However, to balance agricultural development and ecological protection, such optimization is also necessary.…”

“…Fertilization also greatly affects microbial populations associated with potassium (K) and iron (Fe) cycles (Bose et al, 2014 ). Nitrogen, P, and K are essential elements for plant growth (Bernstein et al, 2019 ), and precise NPK application can significantly affect crop growth and metabolite accumulation (Sun et al, 2022 ). However, different crop species require different amounts and proportions of NPK, and the level of each element can affect plant growth and development (Bai et al, 2022 ).…”

NPK Fertilizer Requirements for Jatropha Zeyheri Indigenous Tea under Microplot Conditions

“…Generally, biological entities react to extraneous and internal factors in a DDG patterns which are characterized by three growth phases; stimulation, neutral and inhibition in support of the theory suggested by Liu et al [10] In the present study, at lower rates of NPK fertilizer high level of growth was achieved. Similarly, growth of Actinidia chinensis, plant height and stem leaf fresh weight showed better adaptability and responsiveness to the lower fertilizer dose [11]. Correspondingly, Du et al reported that after 20 days of planting tomato, fresh and dry weight of tomato leaves increased with a decreasing fertilizer rates [12].…”