Multi-omics analysis of excessive nitrogen fertilizer application: Assessing environmental damage and solutions in potato farming

Abstract

Potatoes ( Solanum tuberosum L.) are the third largest food crop globally and are pivotal for global food security. Widespread N fertilizer waste in potato cultivation has caused diverse environmental issues. This study employed microbial metagenomic sequencing to analyze the causes behind the declining N use efficiency (NUE) and escalating greenhouse gas emissions resulting from excessive N fertilizer application. Addressing N fertilizer inefficiency through breeding has emerged as a viable solution for mitigating overuse in potato cultivation. In this study, transcriptome and metabolome analyses were applied to identify N fertilizer-responsive genes. Metagenomic sequencing revealed that excessive N fertilizer application triggered alterations in the population dynamics of 11 major bacterial phyla, consequently affecting soil microbial functions, particularly N metabolism pathways and bacterial secretion systems. Notably, the enzyme levels associated with NO 3 - increased, and those associated with NO and N 2 O increased. Furthermore, excessive N fertilizer application enhanced soil virulence factors and increased potato susceptibility to diseases. Transcriptome and metabolome sequencing revealed significant impacts of excessive N fertilizer use on lipid and amino acid metabolism pathways. Weighted gene co‑expression network analysis (WGCNA) was adopted to identify two genes associated with N fertilizer response: PGSC0003DMG400021157 and PGSC0003DMG400009544. • Excessive Nitrogen (N) fertilizer altered gene abundance in rhizosphere microorganisms. • Rhizosphere microorganism secretion gene abundance increased with N overuse. • N overuse reduced rhizosphere nitrate reductase genes, affecting efficiency. • Genes were found for efficient potato breeding, cutting N use and pollution.

Topics & Concepts