Integrated Analysis of Metabolomics, Flavoromics, and Transcriptomics for Evaluating New Varieties of <i>Amomum villosum</i> Lour.
Zhenkai Li,
Xin Luo,
Yanli Yao,
Yukun Wang,
Zhiheng Dai,
Tianle Cheng,
Xinzhi Huang,
Mei Bai,
Junjun He,
Hong Wu
Affiliations
Zhenkai Li
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Xin Luo
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Yanli Yao
South Subtropical Crop Research Institute, China Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Biology, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Yukun Wang
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Utilization and Conservation of Food and Medicinal Re-Sources in Northern Region, College of Biology and Agriculture, Shaoguan University, Shaoguan 512005, China
Zhiheng Dai
Guangzhou Dublin International College of Life Sciences and Technology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Tianle Cheng
Guangzhou Dublin International College of Life Sciences and Technology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Xinzhi Huang
Guangzhou Dublin International College of Life Sciences and Technology, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Mei Bai
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Junjun He
South Subtropical Crop Research Institute, China Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Key Laboratory of Tropical Fruit Biology, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Zhanjiang 524013, China
Hong Wu
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Amomum villosum Lour. (A. villosum) is the original plant of the medicinal and culinary spice Amomi Fructus (Sharen) and is an important economic crop in the Lingnan region of China. During the cultivation and production of A. villosum, prolonged reliance on single asexual reproduction has exacerbated the degradation of its varieties, leading to inconsistent yields and quality. Building upon earlier cultivar selection efforts, this study provides a comprehensive evaluation of two newly bred A. villosum varieties (A11 and A12) from perspectives including plant traits, product characteristics, active ingredients, and multi-omics analysis. It was found that A12 plants display enhanced robustness, more aromatic fruits, higher yields, and elevated levels of bornyl acetate, A11 shows the advantage of a high camphor content, and the different metabolites and differentially expressed genes of the two varieties were significantly enriched in multiple metabolic pathways. Additionally, A12 contained more terpenoids and substances with aromatic odors such as sweet, fruity, floral, and green. Furthermore, a key gene (Wv_032842) regulating the acetylation of bornyl was discovered, and its significantly higher expression, in A12. In conclusion, this study has a guiding significance for the evaluation of germplasm resources and the breeding of excellent varieties of A. villosum.
