The impact of soil moisture stress on the growth and biosynthesis of effective components in Salvia miltiorrhiza
Yanni Li, Yu Zhang, Yichao Wu, Zhenyong Chen, Mingli Liao, Yan Yu, Shuhong Wei, Zaijun Yang
Abstract
Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. is a traditional Chinese medicinal rich in phenolic acids and tanshinones, which have significant therapeutic effects on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Climate change has led to an increase in global water and drought disasters, significantly impacting the growth of medicinal plants and the synthesis of their active components. Therefore, we focused on investigating the effects of soil moisture stress on the growth and accumulation of effective components in S. miltiorrhiza . Results indicated that S. miltiorrhiza can survive at a soil relative water content (SRWC) ranging from 75 % to 35 %; however, its growth, physiological indicators, and effective components content were significantly affected by SRWC. The optimal SRWC for S. miltiorrhiza was found to be between 55 % and 65 %, under which the contents of salvianolic acid B and total tanshinones were 44.32 ∼ 56.23 mg/g and 5.58 ∼ 8.35 mg/g, respectively. Using RNA-seq, we obtained 35,094 unigenes and 7201 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), with 229 common DEGs across all treatment groups. Through a comparative analysis of the transcriptome and the content of active components with gene expression, we identified 8 genes involved in the biosynthesis of salvianolic acid B and 7 genes involved in the biosynthesis of tanshinones under moisture stress. In summary, reasonable control of soil moisture can ensure the yield and improve the quality of S. miltiorrhiza . This study provides important scientific evidence for the scientific management of water and quality optimization in S. miltiorrhiza cultivation. • CDS-1 exhibits strong drought resistance, with an optimal SRWC of 55–65 %. • SRWC significantly influences the accumulation of salvianolic acid B & tanshinones. • Identified 15 key genes for the synthesis of S. miltiorrhiza effective compounds. • Reveals the salvianolic acid B & tanshinone synthesis mechanism under water stress.