Plant Volatiles of Lettuce and Chicory Cultivated in Aquaponics Are Associated to Their Microbial Community

Abstract

In this work, an aquaponic cultivation system for Lactuca sativa (L.) and Chicorium intybus (L.) was compared to a hydroponic one, focusing on the main microbial populations related to food safety and their volatile compounds (VOCs), concluding with Spearman correlations among the microbes and VOCs. Different sections of both systems were sampled at the end of the commercial development of the plants. Plants cultivated in aquaponics were in general more contaminated than those from hydroponics, while for the cultivation waters a higher contamination of the hydroponics than aquaponics system was unexpectedly observed. Furthermore, the chicory exhibited higher levels of all microbial groups compared to lettuce grown under the same cultivation system. The results obtained also showed correlations between the distribution of some VOCs and microbial groups in the phyllosphere, while some examples of positive correlations between 2-nonanone (a positive phytostimulant compound) and anaerobic bacilli of the rhizosphere in lettuce were reported. So far, multivariate analysis of VOCs was able to discriminate on the basis of varieties but not on the cultivation systems. In conclusion, the microbial characteristics of the two ecosystems depended both on plant variety and cultivation method but further studies will need to deeply investigate the variables influencing the microbial quality of vegetable foods obtained by aquaponics. On the other hand, the analysis of the VOCs was more related to the microbial community of each plant variety considered, whatever the cultivation system. In precision agriculture, metabolomics may represent an opportunity to study the holobiome and through it the interactions between plants and their microbial populations, to possibly provide for a tool to assess the microbiological quality of vegetable foods obtained by aquaponic systems.

Gut Microbiota, Metabolome, and Body Composition Signatures of Response to Therapy in Patients with Advanced Melanoma

“…It should also be noted that the few studies that measured this metabolite in body fluids estimated low recovery in stool [40,41], which could lead us to speculate about impaired intestinal absorption in responders. Similarly, 1-hexanol 2-ethyl is a primary alcohol that occurs naturally in plants, though it is also contributed by micro-organisms [44,45]. Regarding anethole, although we were unable to distinguish its isoforms, it is worth noting that trans-anethole (from Foeniculum vulgare extracts) inhibited UV-induced melanogenesis in melanoma cells [46], thus suggesting an overall protective role.…”

Distant somatic hybridization alters the structure of wheat root bacterial microbiota

“…As shown in the present work, the microbiome altered between hybrid cultivars SR3 and SR4 and their parent cultivar JN177 was a regulator of metabolism of terpenoids and polyketides. Previous studies have indicated that volatiles organic compounds (VOCs) play significant roles in the exchange between plants and microbial communities (Li et al., 2019; Nissen et al., 2021; Piechulla et al., 2017; Raza et al., 2020;). The above results also suggested that the distant somatic hybridization can also affect the microbial communities via the shift of different metabolic pathways in the plant.…”

Trial Protocol for Evaluating Platforms for Growing Microgreens in Hydroponic Conditions

“…This is in comparison to more conventional production methods using soil, considering all the controllable factors in hydroponic systems that have been shown to influence the accumulation of bioactive substances [7,8], the harvest timeframe [9][10][11], and the quality of the finished product [12][13][14]. Furthermore, the lack of a soil's microbiome in hydroponic systems is also important to consider, as unsuccessful parameterization leaves the plants vulnerable to harmful spoilage by microorganisms [15][16][17].…”